Johnsonville Middle School 1996

Johnsonville Middle School 1996

Johnsonville Middle School was originally The Stuckey School, an "Equalization School" during the "Separate But Equal" period which was built in 1954 on a 10-acre tract of land two miles west of Johnsonville (my best research so far is that this is the wooden school pictured here). The school took its name from Eliot Stuckey who donated land for the building. The school was originally constructed to serve as an all-black elementary school. It had modern conveniences such as running water, electricity, and indoor plumbing which were lacking in many all-black schools in South Carolina. From 1954-1958, high school students attended Gibbs High School in Pamplico. From 1958-1962, high school students attended Battery Park School in Nesmith.
After the addition of more classrooms in 1962, Stuckey School began serving black students in grades 1-12. in 1963 a gymnasium was added. Athletic competition during this time was limited to Basketball. The Stuckey Blue Jays had the best record of all the local districts, winning many trophies and championships. The class of 1963 was the first to graduate from Stuckey, and the class of 1969 was the last. Stuckey and Johnsonville were fully integrated the following year and the Stuckey School became Johnsonville Middle School for all students. The buildings on this site served students for over 40 years, and closed its doors at the end of the 1997 school year when the new Johnsonville Middle School was completed. Lamar D. Bradley served as principal of The Stuckey School during it's entire lifetime (1954-1969). After integration, he served as the assistant superintendent of the new Florence District 5. This building is now the Johnsonville Adult Care center.

1996