The Early educational experiences of George W. Carver: From Diamond Grove to Neosho (c.1864-1876)
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Transcript of The Early educational experiences of George W. Carver: From Diamond Grove to Neosho (c.1864-1876)
The Early educational experiences of George W. Carver
From Diamond Grove to Neosho (1864-1876)
Edward Williamson
February 2015
George Washington Carver, famous agriculturalist and educator, was born near
the end of the Civil War in Newton County, Missouri, the slave of Moses and Susan
Carver. His mother, named Mary had previously given birth to another son, Jim. These
three occupied a small cabin close to the one belonging to Moses and Susan.
At some point, probably in early 1865, Southern sympathizers launched a raid on
the Carver farm taking Mary and her infant son, George. Moses Carver sent a man
named John Bentley to try and recover Mary and George, but only George was found,
alone and sick along the side of a road leading south into Arkansas. Bentley received a
horse worth $300 as payment for his efforts. Mary was never heard from again. George
and Jim were subsequently cared for by Moses and Susan Carver.
If George was born in late fall 1864 he might have been 6 months old at the time
of his mother’s abduction. He certainly did not have a lengthy time to bond with his
mother and it seems doubtful that he would have been weaned at the time. It is highly
unlikely that Mrs. Carver, who would have been fifty years old at the time was the one
who nursed him. So, who nursed George? Gart argued that George’s later problems
with respiratory infections were a result of a sudden cessation of breast feeding (2014,
pp. 37-38), which is a possibility. From a developmental perspective, this is an important
item to consider. A baby’s first teachers are its parents. In the case of George Carver,
he never knew his father who supposedly was killed in an accident prior to his birth, and
he only had a short time with his mother. It is known that Moses and Susan Carver
became surrogate parents to George and Jim, but was there someone else during that
crucial time when George nearly died from whooping cough? Regardless, at some point
the Carvers became the de facto parents.
This essay will examine the early educational experiences of George Carver,
essentially the time period between his birth and his removal to Neosho around the age
of twelve to attend school. This time period (roughly 1864-1876) coincides with
George’s residence on the Moses Carver farm. The essay concludes with a discussion
of Carver’s educational experiences in Neosho and his subsequent move to Fort Scott,
Kansas.
Carver’s early educational experiences can be organized in the following way: 1)
Carver was taught at home by Moses and Susan Carver; 2) Carver received some
education at the Sunday School he attended at the Locust Grove church; 3) Carver
attempted to go to school at the Locust Grove school, but was refused; 4) Carver might
have been tutored by Steven Slane; 5) Carver left Diamond Grove and moved to
Neosho to attend the Neosho Colored School; 6) Carver was taught by Mariah Watkins
and the African American community in Neosho, including its churches; and 7) Carver
moves to Fort Scott, Kansas to continue his education.
These seven avenues of educational experiences range from informal to formal,
from practical (or vocational) to academic, and include a moral educational component
as well, whether the work ethic morality of the Carvers, or the Christian based morality
of Mariah Watkins. Taken together they provide an excellent overview of the
educational preparation George Carver took with him when he left Missouri for Kansas
in 1878. These early educational experiences provided Carver with the tools and
dispositions to persevere in pursuing further education to include an advanced degree
from a prestigious agricultural college. A case can be made that Carver’s early
educational experiences, obtained primarily in the Diamond Grove area, directly
impacted subsequent generations of students at Tuskegee and throughout the United
States. This is because the lessons he learned here first provided recurring solutions to
problems he encountered later in life, as evidenced in his writings and speeches. These
early educational experiences are manifested most readily in Carver’s “I Can” mentality
throughout his life.
Each of these early educational experiences will be discussed utilizing Carver’s
own words and other source materials to try and place them in their proper place with
regard to his subsequent rise to fame and influence.
Carver was taught at home by Moses and Susan
Once George was returned to the Moses Carver farm he was faced with a most
distressing situation, the loss of his mother, Mary. George was also suffering from a life
threatening illness, whooping cough. Despite these setbacks he survived. Whoever took
care of and nurtured young George, the next several years were spent developing
physically and cognitively much like any other young child in the latter half of the 1860s.
Moses and Susan Carver assumed responsibility for the raising of both George
and his older brother, Jim. The boys experienced life in rural Missouri and the
challenges of living on an active farm. As they grew older they would have been given
various chores to complete in keeping with their abilities.
During this formative time for George and Jim there were no opportunities for
formal education. What the boys learned was how to farm and take care of household
needs in common with the majority of Americans at the time. In this endeavor they had
good examples of what Max Weber termed the “Protestant Work Ethic” in the persons
of Moses and Susan Carver. These were lessons George would benefit from throughout
his life.
The importance of effective early nurturing is reflected today in the Parents as
First Teachers (PAT) program. Moses and Susan Carver would have to be classified as
PATs because of their immense role in the early upbringing of George W. Carver.
Following the abduction of George’s mother, Mary, and prior to his move to Neosho,
Missouri, these two were the ones who spent the most time with him and helped teach
him, albeit informally.
The role of parents as their children’s first teachers has been emphasized in
Missouri through the PAT program. Missouri was one of the first states to develop a
comprehensive program to provide assistance to parents in their efforts to serve as first
teachers. Interestingly, in light of recent events, Ferguson, Missouri was one of the
original sites for this program (Hippert, 2014, para 1).
With regard to the learning he obtained growing up in the Carver household,
George wrote “At this time I had never heard of botany and could scerly (scarcely,
EAW) read” (1897 Or Thereabouts, George Washington Carver’s own brief history of
his life). He also wrote, “Mr. and Mrs. Carver were very kind to me and I thank them so
much for my home training. They encourogyed (encouraged, EAW) me to secure
knowledge helping me all they could, but this was quite limited” (1897…).
It has been speculated that Moses and Susan Carver were illiterate. Whether
they were illiterate, semi-literate or fully literate, they presumably educated George and
Jim to at least their own level of ability. In addition, the Carvers provided George with a
secure base while allowing him the freedom to roam their farm and the neighborhood
wherever his curiosity led him. As Krahe and Catton claim, “Most importantly, the
physical environment of the farm itself and the influence of Moses and Susan Carver
shaped the man that young George would become in profound ways” (2014, p. 14).
It cannot be emphasized enough that Moses and Susan Carver provided the
groundwork for George’s later acquisition of knowledge. They provided opportunities for
learning (whether on the farm, through hiring a tutor, or allowing George to move to
Neosho), they provided materials for learning and, most importantly of all, they provided
encouragement for learning.
As Carver later wrote,
When just a mere tot in short dresses my very soul thirsted for an education. I
literally lived in the woods. I wanted to know every strange stone, flower, insect,
bird, or beast. No one could tell me. My only book was an old Webster’s
Elementary Spelling Book. I would seek out the answer here without satisfaction.
I almost knew that book by heart. (A Brief sketch of my life)
In the absence of formal educational experiences, Carver relied upon whatever
resources and opportunities he could, including utilizing the only book at his disposal.
He later wrote to Dr. Louis H. Pammel, “My education was picked up here and there.
Mr. and Mrs. Carver taught me to read, spell and write just a little” (Letter to Dr. Louis H.
Pammel, May 5, 1922). Most of George’s education while living with the Carvers
centered on practical or vocational skills as reported by Toogood:
…George worked mostly in the home with his foster mother, Susan Carver. She
introduced him to the handicrafts of weaving, knitting, and sewing so necessary
for making the clothes in the rural communities of southwest Missouri.
Throughout his life George Carver continued to develop these skills, sometimes
doing so as part of his livelihood…”. (1973, p. 30)
George Carver put these vocational skills to good use as he traveled far and wide in
pursuit of his education. He was able to provide for his physical needs by washing
clothes and cooking, among other types of domestic activities. He continued learning
and practicing these vocational skills after leaving the farm, especially when he moved
in with the Watkins family in Neosho, Missouri. In addition to practical skills George
learned how to paint and to crochet, enabling him to express some of his more creative
abilities. Most of the time he was able to acquire these skills through observation.
Carver was taught at church
Another informal opportunity for education was available to George Carver
through local churches. Many congregations provided Sunday School for their
members. The earliest Sunday Schools had been organized by Robert Raikes in
England to provide rudimentary education to young boys who had no other
opportunities for education because they worked in factories six days a week. While
some churches in the United States provided Sunday School to replace public school
education most modified it to provide religious instruction rather than focusing on
academics.
The primary textbook of the Sunday School was the Bible. It was deemed
important for Christians to be able to read the Bible. So, while Sunday School was not a
primary location for academic pursuits, it would be natural for some pedagogical
procedures to take place there.
Moses and Susan Carver were not known as regular church members. They
were certainly highly moral people as evidenced by their life and conduct, but seemed
to have little use for organized religion. This would have undoubtedly influenced George
and Jim as they were growing up on the Carver farm. In fact, as he explained to Isabelle
Coleman on July 24, 1931, George claimed to not know what prayer or Sunday School
were at the time of his conversion. There is also disagreement on whether or not Carver
even attended Sunday School. Carver himself stated, “My brother and myself were the
only colored children in the neighborhood and of course, we could not go to a church or
Sunday school, or school of any kind” (Letter to Miss Isabelle Coleman, July 24, 1931).
But, others recall Jim and George attending Sunday School, at least
occasionally. Toogood reports, “According to accounts from Diamond ‘old timers,’ the
brothers played freely with the white children and attended regular Sunday School
classes with them at the Locust Grove schoolhouse” (1973, p. 25); and also, “He
(Moses Carver, EAW) did not object, however, to the boys walking the mile up the road
to the Locust Grove Church where they could enjoy the companionship and neighborly
exchange which the Sunday gatherings provided” (p. 31).
As reported by Gart (2014):
There is some evidence that Carver may have also briefly attended a Sunday
school taught by Flora Abbott at the Locust Grove Church. Forbes Harris Brown,
a childhood friend of George W. Carver, reported in an oral interview conducted
in the 1950s that his brother, Will Brown, went with Carver to the Sunday school
at Locust Grove Church. According to Brown, the Sunday school class was
opened to George W. Carver as a ‘concession…to serve as a salve to the
conscience of the community because of strong religious belief.” (p. 55)
The document prepared by the National Park Service regarding the 1872 Neosho
Colored School quoted Forbes Brown as saying in 1952 that:
his brother Will was a fellow student of George’s in Mrs. Abbott’s Sunday School
class. This was not long after the close of the Civil War and the resentment
towards the Negro was such as to prevent George from attending the day school.
(Susan Richard Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 35)
With specific regard to the Locust Grove church/school:
The school was established at Locust Grove in the late 1860s or early 1870s,
and students met in a building that doubled as a church on Sundays. The school
was located less than a mile from Moses Carver’s farm, and George Washington
Carver and his brother Jim reportedly attended Sunday School and church
services there as children. (p. 35)
Whether or not George Carver actually attended Sunday School at Locust Grove church
while living with Moses and Susan, the point remains that even if he did, little of
pedagogical significance would have taken place. This is just another possible influence
during his early educational experiences. As Krahe and Catton claim, “The irreligious
Carvers did not provide any sort of spiritual foundation for George and his brother,
although the boys took part in some rudimentary Christian instruction at the local
church, offered by the same folks who denied them academic schooling” (2014, p. 15).
Once George moved to Neosho to attend school he did receive much more
religious instruction from Andrew and Mariah Watkins, primarily Mariah who gave him a
Bible. George was also able to attend services at several African American churches in
Neosho such as Second Baptist, Wesley Chapel, and the A.M.E. congregation. His
teacher at the Neosho Colored School, Stephen Frost, was also a Baptist pastor.
Carver’s time in Neosho marked the beginning of a life-long commitment to faithful
attendance of religious services.
Carver tried to attend his neighborhood school but was refused
“Although a new Missouri Constitution written in 1865 provided blacks legal
public access to education, George was unable to attend the local Locust Grove School
because of his race” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). Prior to the end of the Civil
War it was illegal in Missouri to educate slaves. George had been born under the 1820
Constitution of the State of Missouri which encouraged the establishment of schools in
each township for the free education of the poor. Nothing was mentioned in the 1820
Constitution concerning the education of African Americans, whether free or slave.
However, an 1847 amendment to the state constitution specifically prohibited the
education of slaves. This was the law of Missouri when George Carver was born.
George was an infant when the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished in
Missouri. For the next several years he received informal educational experiences from
those who raised him. Meanwhile, in 1865, a new Missouri Constitution was adopted
guaranteeing free schools for all persons in the state between the ages of five and
twenty-one years (Article XI, Section 1). Under this Constitution it was stated that
separate schools “may be established” for “children of African descent” (Article XI,
Section 2).
The 1875 Missouri Constitution, adopted just before the time Carver left Diamond
Grove to travel to Neosho provided for free schools for all persons between the ages of
six and twenty years (Article XI, Section 1). However, in this Constitution it was stated
that separate schools “shall be established for the education of children of African
descent” (Article XI, Section 3). The change in wording from “may” to “shall” denotes
that segregation had become the law of Missouri by 1875, not just permitted as under
the 1865 Constitution, but now required.
While there are varied reports as to whether George Carver was even allowed
into the Locust Grove school, and with regard to how many days he was actually able to
attend, it is certain that he obtained no formal education from this experience. This
episode probably represented the first time George experienced racism and prejudice to
such a degree. This would not be the last time, unfortunately. As Toogood described,
“…when Moses Carver expressed an interest in enrolling his boys in the Locust Grove
school, the white majority balked. After only one school year in Diamond, George and
Jim painfully came to realize their inferior status as Negroes” (1973, p. 25).
Gart describes George’s attempt at gaining an education in the local school:
It is believed that for perhaps a week or two, maybe even less, Carver and his
brother James attended a public school known as Locust Grove School, which
met at the Locust Grove Church, located approximately one mile from the Moses
Carver farm. (2014, p. 54).
Gart goes on to explain that racism was the reason George and Jim were denied an
education in the local school, “Shortly after arriving, James and George learned they
could not continue their studies because of their race” (p. 55). George Jackson is
quoted as saying that his wife, “went to school with him for three days at Locust Grove.
A complaint was made to the school board about George being in attendance there”
(Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 35).
This source is also utilized by Gart:
One contemporary of George W. Carver, whose wife attended the school in the
1870s and who was later interviewed by the National Park Service in the 1950s,
stated that James and George remained at Locust Grove School for three days
before being turned away. (2014, p. 55)
Whether George and Jim were able to attend for three days, or were turned away on
their very first day, the fact remains that they were discriminated against because of
their race and therefore received no formal education in their local school. As reported
by Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc.:
It was at Locust Grove that Carver encountered the first obstacle to receiving an
education. Around 1875, George and Jim attempted to join their white neighbors
at the school in Locust Grove. By most accounts, they were welcome on
Sundays, but not at the ‘day school’. Interviews with early residents of the area
that were held in the 1950s revealed that they boys were refused entrance to the
school because they were black. (2012, p. 35)
Carver himself described the situation in 1897, “As we lived in the country no colored
schools were available So I was permitted to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho).”
While the situation at the Locust Grove school is disturbing, it was nonetheless legal
and acceptable in Missouri according to the 1865 and 1875 Constitutions. In Marion
Township where Locust Grove school was located there were not enough African
Americans of school age to require the provision of a separate school and the residents
of Marion Township were not willing in 1875 (when it seems likely that George and Jim
tried to enroll) to consider an integrated school.
Carver might have had a tutor
Several sources indicate that George Carver was tutored sometime between his
failed attempt to enroll at the Locust Grove school (most likely in the fall of 1875) and
his subsequent move to Neosho (in the fall of 1876). The person identified as George’s
tutor was Steven Slane, who taught at the Locust Grove school beginning in either 1875
or 1876. This chronology provides a likely window of opportunity for tutoring between
fall 1875 and fall 1876. This situation would represent the first truly formal educational
experience for George Carver. According to the prospectus for the 1872 Neosho
Colored School document, “Said to have been tutored for a short time by Steven Slane,
Carver’s quest for an education led him to walk eight miles to Neosho, Missouri, in order
to attend the Neosho Colored School” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.).
According to Toogood, this tutoring occurred in the fall of 1876:
In an interview with Park Service historians, Harold Slane reported that his father,
Steven Slane, had tutored George in Diamond sometime after his arrival in the
community in the fall of 1876. In a letter to Harold Slane in the 1930s Carver
confirmed that Steven Slane had tutored him as a boy. (1973, p. 15)
Toogood further reports the following information documented in taped interviews of
Harold Slane, son of Steven Slane:
…told me about having tutored Dr. Carver after school when he was boarding
with the Baynham family who lived near the Locust Grove School…before my
mother and father were married…In later years, in 1932, I visited Dr. Carver at
Tuskegee Institute, and he also reaffirmed to me that he had received tutoring
from my father…[He told me] that he felt that my father’s influence had been
great in helping form his background. He said, “well, I owe more to Steven L.
Slane than any person I’ve ever known”.
…[father said that] he found Dr. Carver to be an exceptionally brilliant boy, and
that he felt that he had given him the benefit of all the training he could, and he
advised him to go on up into Iowa where he could get further school. (1973, p.
26)
Gart also cites these same sources as showing that “…some scholars have argued that
the Carvers engaged Steven L. Slane, the white teacher at Locust Grove School, for a
few months in 1876 to tutor the two boys after they were barred from the school” ( 2014,
p. 56). The 1872 Neosho Colored School Final Report states that Steven Slane,
began teaching at Locust Grove School in 1875 or 1876 and spent the next three
decades teaching in Newton County Schools. He is believed to have tutored
George in his spare time, providing the young man with his first schooling, as
well as a strong desire to learn more. (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates,
Inc., 2012, p. 36)
It seems that Moses Carver was willing to hire a tutor to help educate George. This is
another example of the encouragement he provided to the young man with regard to
getting a good start in life. While it is not known how long George was tutored, nor the
extent to which Mr. Slane was able to impart knowledge to him, this was yet another
opportunity to learn. Whatever he learned he took with him as he left Diamond Grove for
Neosho and a greater opportunity.
Carver went to the Neosho Colored School when he was around 12
As Carver himself explains, “As we lived in the country no colored schools were
available So I was permitted to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho). This simply
sharpened my apetite (appetite, EAW) for more knowledge” (1897). Since he was
denied the opportunity for an education in his local community, George asked for and
received permission to leave the Moses Carver farm and move to Neosho. George was
not always consistent in his reporting about how long he remained in Neosho for
schooling. In one source he claims:
At the age of 19 years my brother left the old home for Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Shortly after, at the age of 10 years, I left for Neosho, a little town just 8 miles
from our farm, where I could go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were perfectly
willing for us to go where we could be educated the same as white children. I
remained here about two years, got an opportunity to go to Fort Scott, Kansas
with a family. (A Brief sketch of my life)
While in a letter to Dr. Louis H. Pammel he states, “I went to Neosho, Mo., public school
for about nine months, then to Fort Scott town school, for about the same length of time”
(May 5, 1922). There is little consistency in the reported dates for when George Carver
arrived in Neosho, or for how old he was at the time. According to the prospectus
document for the 1872 Colored School, “His quest began in 1876 as he walked eight
miles from his birthplace and childhood home in Diamond Grove, Missouri to attend the
1872 Neosho Colored School” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). While Toogood
reported:
…young Carver walked the 8 miles to town, or Neosho, to enroll in the school for
Negroes. According to his best recollection of the time, George remembered
himself to be between 10-12 years old. The school he joined had been founded
in 1872 to educate some 3 percent in the county who were Negro. They met in a
small one-room house. (1973, p. 26)
Gart summarizes the earlier sources and states, “Around 1876, at the approximate age
of eleven, Carver was permitted by Moses and Susan Carver to travel eight miles south
to Neosho, Missouri” (2014, p. 56). Also, “Carver…sought out a small one-room house
located at 639 Young Street, later known as the Neosho Colored School, which served
as a school for African Americans” (p. 56).
The 1872 Neosho Colored School Final Report states:
Around 1876, young George Washington Carver decided it was worth leaving his
home to find a school that would accept him as a student. He had surely heard of
the school in Neosho that welcomed black children and was even run by a black
teacher. (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 36)
The same source provides the following time frame for Carver’s attendance at the
school, “Carver attended this school between December 1876 and the summer of 1878”
(p. 49). While not exactly overlapping, Gart provides a similar time frame:
George W. Carver remained at the Neosho Colored School for only a short time,
perhaps between nine and twenty-four months spanning between 1877 and
1878. The exact reasons why Carver left the school are not known, but one
theory holds that he became disillusioned with Frost, whom he believed knew
even less than himself. (2014, p. 59)
The man who taught at the Neosho Colored school during Carver’s time there was
Stephen S. Frost. “In January 1875, teaching duties at the new school were taken on by
Stephen S. Frost, who taught nearly every term at the school for the next decade”
(Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). Gart agrees with this information reporting, “In
January 1875, Stephen S. Frost, a young black man who was no more than twenty-five
years old, assumed teaching duties at the school. Frost had the unique distinction of
being George W. Carver’s first formal teacher” (2014, p. 58).
The school facilities were less than desirable and Mr. Frost was not
well-educated, but for George Carver this was a chance to finally receive extensive
formal education and to associate with a larger community of African Americans than he
had ever had opportunity to do before. As the prospectus for the 1872 Neosho Colored
School states:
At the Neosho Colored School under the tutelage of Stephen S. Frost, a man
with little training, George thrived and obtained a certificate of merit. Though the
quality of African-American education in Newton County was reported as poor,
George later recalled that this door of opportunity at the Neosho Colored School
sharpened his appetite for more learning. (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.)
Gart reports, “Writing to Raleigh H. Merritt in July 1927, Carver explained, ‘The first
school was simply the small, crude town school poorly equipped [in] every way’. Carver
stated that the schoolhouse was furnished with ‘crude wooden benches and other
rickety furniture.’’ (2014, pp. 58-59).
Regardless of the quality of the school or the preparation of Mr. Frost, George
Carver experienced academic success and gained recognition for his abilities as noted
by Gart, “On Friday, December 22, 1876, Carver received a reward of merit from Frost,
recognizing his ‘perfect studies and good conduct during the past week’” (2014, p. 59).
The educational experience that Carver had in Neosho would bear little resemblance to
education in Neosho, Missouri in the present day. Yet, George learned all that he could
at the feet of Mr. Frost and then took that knowledge with him further down the road to
Fort Scott, Kansas and then eventually to Tuskegee, Alabama.
Stephen Frost is often overlooked in the educational history of George
Washington Carver because of the subsequent greatness of his pupil. While Frost
certainly had his limitations, it was his desire to teach those who had not previously had
opportunity for schooling which led him to Neosho. He traveled extensively himself in
order to learn how to read and write. Then, once he became literate, he strove to help
others become literate as well. Stephen Frost helped others as best he could, including
George Carver. In addition to being a school teacher, Stephen Frost was also a Baptist
minister which undoubtedly influenced his students probably as much as the limited
amount of knowledge he could give them. He provided moral teachings as well as book
learning.
He was taught by Mariah Watkins in Neosho
When Carver moved to Neosho in 1876 he became part of a larger African
American community for the first time in his life. Up until this point his growth and
development had taken place primarily through interactions with Moses and Susan
Carver and others in the Diamond Grove community. But, in Neosho, Carver lived with
Andrew and Mariah Watkins, well known members of the African American community,
attended African American churches, and went to school with others of his race, being
taught by an African American teacher, Stephen Frost.
The educational experiences Carver received from Mariah Watkins were not
necessarily formal in nature. However, they did influence him throughout the rest of his
life. These educational experiences, in conjunction with the formal education received at
the school in Neosho, were primarily spiritual and practical in nature.
Carver had become a Christian prior to leaving Diamond Grove and probably
attended some religious services in that community. However, when he arrived in
Neosho and fell under the influence of Mariah Watkins this religious pathway became
much more important. There were at least three African American churches in the
vicinity of the home of Andrew and Mariah Watkins. Carver was taken to services while
living with Mariah. She also gave him a Bible that he treasured the rest of his life. As the
prospectus of the 1872 Neosho Colored School states, “Aunt Mariah, a midwife and
baby nurse, taught George herbal medicine and domestic skills. She also took him to
church and gave him his first Bible, which he cherished throughout his life” (Carver
Birthplace Association, n.d.). Gart agrees with this statement, “Lawrence Elliott asserted
that Mariah provided Carver with his first Bible, ‘a leather volume already worn by much
loving use’” (2014, p. 62).
Not only did Mariah Watkins influence George in spiritual matters and by
teaching him domestic skills, she also influenced him to a life of greater good and
service as evidenced by the prospectus document of the 1872 Neosho Colored School,
“George Washington Carver later recalled that Aunt Mariah instructed, ‘You must learn
all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people”
(Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.).The time period from 1876 until 1878 which Carver
spent in Neosho culminated his early educational experiences and provided him with
necessary skills and knowledge enabling him to succeed in life. The moral, spiritual,
practical and pedagogical training he obtained in Neosho was immensely important for
his future endeavors.
Departure for Fort Scott, Kansas
Carver stated,
As we lived in the country no colored schools were available so I was permitted
to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho). This simply sharpened my apetite for
more knowledge. I managed to secure all of my meager wardrobe from home
and when they heard from me I was cooking for a wealthy family in Ft Scott
Kans. For my board, cloths and school privileges. Of course they were indignant
and sent for me to come home at once, to die, as the family doctor had told them
I would never live to see 21 years of age. I trusted to God and pressed on (I had
been a Christian since about 8 years old.)…My health began improving and I
remained here for two years,… (1897 or thereabouts)
In another document, Carver stated,
Shortly after, at the age of 10 years, I left for Neosho, a little town just 8 miles
from our farm, where I could go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were perfectly
willing for us to go where we could be educated the same as white children. I
remained here about two years, got an opportunity to go to Fort Scott, Kansas
with a family. They drove through the country. (A Brief sketch)
Carver arrived in Neosho, Missouri sometime in the fall of 1876 and began attending the
school conducted by Stephen Frost. He left Neosho for Fort Scott, Kansas sometime in
1878 and attended Fort Scott Colored Public School (in the building formerly serving as
the Post Hospital on the grounds of Fort Scott). This was the second school in Fort
Scott serving African Americans. From 1865-1872, the Freedmen’s School, also known
as Adams School was in operation.
The Fort Scott Colored Public School was in operation from 1872-1884, and was
the first truly public school for African American children in Fort Scott. This was the
school Carver attended during 1878 and 1879 (Free to Learn: African American Schools
at Fort Scott, n.d.). Carver left Fort Scott immediately following the lynching of Bill
Howard in March 1879.
This awful act is described in the March 27, 1879 edition of The Fort Scott Daily
Monitor. Carver himself wrote a letter many years later containing the following words,
Remained here until they linched a colored man, drug him by our house and
dashed his brains out onto the sidewalk. As young as I was, the horror haunted
me and does even now. I left Fort Scott and went to Olathe, Kansas. (Fuller &
Mattes, 1957, p. 29)
From Fort Scott, Carver journeyed to Paola, Olathe, and Minneapolis, Kansas, picking
up bits and pieces of education along the way. In Minneapolis he finally completed his
high school diploma. Further educational adventures would await George Washington
Carver in Kansas, Iowa, and finally, Alabama.
Summary
I believe George Carver traveled to Neosho in the fall of 1876 to begin his
education at the Neosho Colored School. Since Stephen Frost awarded George Carver
a certificate on December 22, 1876 it is certain he was in school at least by then. I also
believe he would have been approximately twelve years old by that time. The year 1876
is highly symbolic. It was the Centennial of the Independence of the United States of
America. It also witnessed the end of Reconstruction in the south when the contested
Presidential election was decided in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the
promised removal of all Federal troops remaining in the former Confederate states.
Although Missouri was not subject to the stipulations of Reconstruction, this state, in
common with all of the southern states and most of the remaining ones, began passing
legislation restricting the freedoms and opportunities of millions of recently freed African
Americans.
The 1875 Missouri Constitution mandated separate schools for African American
children. Because of this mandate, young George Carver was forced to leave home and
seek out educational opportunities where he could find them, beginning in Neosho,
Missouri. When Carver started on the road to Neosho in the fall of 1876, he was not
only taking his scant belongings, but something more important, early educational
experiences that prepared him for the tough road ahead and also an unceasing desire
to learn more.
References
Carver Birthplace Association. (n.d.).Prospectus. “…The Golden Door of Freedom…”
George Washington Carver and the 1872 Neosho Colored School.
Carver, G.W. (n.d.). A Brief sketch of my life.
Carver, G.W. (1897). 1897 or thereabouts. George Washington Carver’s own brief
history of his life.
Carver, G.W. (1922). Letter to Dr. Louis H. Pammel, May 5.
Carver, G.W. (1931). G.W. Carver to Isabelle Coleman, July 24, 1931, Reel 12, Frame
1264-1265, Microfilm 17,416, the George Washington Carver Papers in the
Tuskegee Institute Archives, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
Free to Learn: African American Schools at Fort Scott. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/historyculture/freetolearn.htm
Fuller, R.P. & Mattes, M.J. (1957). The Early life of George Washington Carver. George
Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, Missouri.
Gart, J.H. (2014). He shall direct thy paths: The Early life of George W. Carver. Historic
Resource Study, George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO.
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
S Hippert. (2014, Dec. 1). Helping parents & parent educators in times of trauma. [web
log comment]. Retrieved from
https://parentsasteachers.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/helping-parents-parent-
educators-in-times-of-trauma/
Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc. (2012). Final report. Historic Structure
report. 1872 Neosho Colored School. 639 Young Street, Neosho, Missouri. NPS
PMIS 174533.
Krahe, D.L. & Catton, T. (2014). Walking in Credence. An Administrative history of
George Washington Carver National Monument. National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior.
Toogood, A.C. (1973). Historic Resource Study and Administrative History, George
Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO.