The State Review Board will meet next week to consider the proposed nomination of the Bruce School in Dyer County for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Review Board will meet Wednesday, May 17, at the Tennessee Historical Commission.
Bruce High School has shaped African American youth in Dyersburg for over 100 years. The school is located at the rear of the town’s historic African American neighborhood, which in turn, is located on the “opposite” (west) side of the railroad tracks south of downtown Dyersburg. As a safe haven for education and community events, Bruce High School, established circa 1900, had extraordinary influence on local African American history until the end of segregation in Dyer County led to its closing in 1966. The present school building only has portions of its 1951 constructed building extant; an earlier two-story brick Rosenwald school was demolished for what was then a modern high school in 1951. Parts of the playgrounds and athletic fields that once surrounded the school also remain. The most important space is the extant gymnasium, which was central to the neighborhood. One of the extant classrooms has been converted into a heritage room, about the school and African American life in Dyersburg. Music is also a major legacy of the high school, as the marching band was legendary in its time. The gymnasium still regularly hosts musical events and performances.
The Board will vote on four nominations from across the state. Those nominations that are found to meet the criteria will be sent for final approval to the National Register of Historic Places at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The nominations are:
- Melton’s Bank, Cannon County
- Fox House, Coffee County
- Bruce High School, Dyer County
- Haynes Haven Stock Farm, Maury County
The State Review Board is composed of 12 people with backgrounds in American history, architecture, archaeology, or related fields. It also includes members representing the public. The National Register program was authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Tennessee Historical Commission administers the program in Tennessee.
The public is invited to attend the meeting. For additional information, please contact Rebecca Schmitt with the Tennessee Historical Commission at (615) 770-1086, or at National.Register@tn.gov. For more information about the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit www.tnhistoricalcommission.org.