1915 The issue of separate schools arose again in the early decades of the twentieth century, with the migration of large numbers of Negroes from the southern states into Ohio.

A combination of many factors led to the reemergence of separate schools in many communities.

Migrants from the south increased the number of children enrolled in the existing system.

The new arrivals naturally moved close to family and friends already living in the area, which had the effect of developing distinct Negro neighborhoods within a community, where a separate school could be built.

People from the south were accustomed to separate schools.

Many Negroes wanted their children to be taught by teachers of their own race.

Some Negroes believed that a special curriculum should be developed for Negro children which would emphasize industrial training. Not everyone agreed with this, many believed that unless all children followed the same curriculum in the same school equality would never be achieved.

The most significant factor was the Supreme Court’s 1896 decision in the Plessy v. Ferguson case, in which the Court ruled that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional.

When the Congress Avenue School became overcrowded in 1915 Mr. John J Burchnal purchased the “Verdin House” on Washington Avenue and donated it to the Board of Education “to provide additional room for the colored children of the first five grades.”