Reviving a Missouri Schoolhouse With Ties to Black History
Crockett W. Oaks III grew up hearing stories about Lincoln School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1926 for Black students in his native West Plains, Missouri. His father attended the school, as did his aunts, until it closed in 1954 after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. West Plains leaders voted quickly and unanimously to desegregate the city’s schools, and Lincoln School students were relocated. Ownership of the building was transferred to the city, and for the next several decades it housed various community services while slowly falling into disrepair.
In 2023, Oaks and his wife, Tonya, approached the city with their vision for saving and restoring Lincoln School. They purchased the building for $1,200 and completed the $230,000 restoration in January 2024. We spoke with the couple about their efforts to save an important piece of local history.
What was the community’s reaction when you bought Lincoln School?
Tonya: The support we received was overwhelming.
Crockett: People were excited. But when we started, it was surprising to me how many people didn’t understand the full history of Lincoln School. We worked with a [Missouri-based] writer, Kaitlyn McConnell, to craft the story about it. That helped people understand the building’s importance and also helped with fundraising, which we were doing at the same time.
What was the building like when you started work?
Crockett: The roof was warped. The building wasn’t enjoying the best of insulation. The floors looked like they hadn’t been mopped in the 90-some-odd years of its existence.
What went into its restoration?
photo by: Crockett W. Oaks III
The restored Lincoln School in West Plains, Missouri.
Crockett: We went in and modernized [the building], but we left its shape and size the same as it was back in 1926. The floors are about 87 percent original, and those original parts have been sanded and refinished. They’re beautiful. The windows had to be replaced, but we returned them to their original size.
We used a lot of local people. The restoration was managed by Alex Bandurovskiy [of Cedar Lane Properties in West Plains], and he used mainly locals for things like the insulation, HVAC work, and concrete work.
The most surprising part was how intact [the building] was once we got down to the studs. The beams were all diagonal, which I learned from our crew creates a more sturdy structure. So cosmetically, it looked a mess. But structurally, it was solid. So much so that we didn’t have to replace nearly as much as we anticipated, which saved money.
Tell me about the art.
Tonya: We added the stained-glass windows. We used a local artist, Heather Legler. They tell a story.
The first window is Crockett when he was a little boy, getting his picture taken in front of his grandparents’ house, with Lincoln School in the background. As we were looking for old photos, that’s what we noticed: There weren’t a lot of actual photos of Lincoln School, but Lincoln School was often in the background.
Crockett: I’m mesmerized every time I walk in and see the big mural. It’s by Dr. Bolaji Ogunwo from Lagos, Nigeria. Tonya and I used to live there and became acquainted with him and his art back in 2012. The mural reimagines a Lincoln School class. We modernized the building and introduced a lot of technology, but I never wanted it to get so far away from its history that people forgot it was a school. With that mural, one can never mistake what it was used for historically.
What is Lincoln School like today?
Tonya: It’s busy. We had our dedication in January 2024. We started our programming in February. We had several events for Black History Month. We have partnerships with the Missouri History Museum and [the Missouri Historical Society’s] African American History Initiative. We’ve hosted schoolchildren to come in and learn about the school and its restoration.
photo by: Gray Photography
Crockett W. Oaks III and Tonya Oaks in front of artist Bolaji Ogunwo’s mural in the restored Lincoln School, which now serves as a cultural center in West Plains, Missouri.
For Women’s History Month we had a panel with a breakfast. We’ll continue to host events like that [for] the public free of charge so everybody has the opportunity to get something from it.
Crockett, what does your dad think of his school today?
Crockett: He didn’t think he’d ever see such an effort around Lincoln School. I don’t think Dad fully appreciated its true value until we helped him understand what was taking place nationally, like with the saving of Rosenwald Schools. Seeing that Lincoln School is a point of pride and worthy of saving, that’s been an “aha” moment for him.
We depicted Dad in the mural. He’s the kid looking out. We say Dr. Ogunwo illustrated him front and center, not paying attention to what was going on in the classroom, but gazing into the future, looking for me to do something with the space.
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