National Register of Historic Places

Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School

Vado, Dona Ana County, New Mexico
Listed
February 7, 2017
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100000630

About this property

The Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School is a rectangular brick elementary school, which was built by Doña Ana County in 1926 after the school board chose to racially segregate its public schools. The Dunbar School is located on the south side of Vado in the Lower Rio Grande Valley between the river and Interstate 25, roughly fifteen miles south of Las Cruces. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. When the school formally opened on February 10, 1926, it taught elementary and high school students. Later, students travelled to Las Cruces for high school at the segregated Booker T. Washington School, which was built on Solano Street in 1934. When the Supreme Court handed down the Brown v. Board decision in 1954, it was with the proviso that states desegregate their schools “with all deliberate speed.” In the South, most schools were not desegregated until 1970. Compliance with the Brown ruling came much faster in New Mexico. The last class at Dunbar Elementary School graduated in 1957 before they integrated the Gadsden District.

Location

325 Holguin Rd.
Vado, Dona Ana County, New Mexico
32.11820, -106.66273

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYBLACK
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

San Jose Church
Civil War
2.5 mi
Jones, Frank and Amelia, House
Industrial
3.6 mi
Foster Hall
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12.5 mi
Goddard Hall
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12.5 mi
Mesilla Park Elementary School
Industrial
12.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Brazito
1846Mexican-American War
3.8 mi
Battle of El Brazito – Detail
1846Mexican-American War
3.8 mi
Mexican-American War — Battle of El Brazito
1846Mexican-American War
3.9 mi
Battle of El Brazito
1846Mexican-American War
9 mi
Skirmish at Brazito
1846Mexican-American War
11.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School listed on the National Register?

Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 7, 2017.

What type of historic resource is Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School?

Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School?

The period of significance for Dunbar, Paul Laurence, Elementary School is recorded as the industrial era.

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