Sumner High School (jan 1, 1905 – jan 1, 1978)

Description:

Sumner High School initially began out of a racial incident that occurred in 1904. In 1905, the state legislature amended section 6290 of the General Statues of 1901 and passed House Bill No. 890, also known as the "Segregation Bill." The bill was created to govern the high schools of Kansas City, Kansas, and to amend section 6290 of the General Statues of 1901, reversing the provision for mixed high schools in the State of Kansas. The school was named in honor of abolitionist U.S. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. Actual building occupancy began in 1906. Sumner was the first and only African American school in the state of Kansas during that time. J.E. Patterson was the first principal. The school's first location was at 9th & Washington, but then later relocated to 8th & Oakland in Kansas City, Kansas, during the 1940s.