Paul William Dunbar High School, Educational historic site in Bessemer, Alabama.
Paul William Dunbar High School is a historic school building in Bessemer, Alabama, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2011. It operated from 1923 to 1980, first as Bessemer Colored High School and later under the name of the Ohio-born poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The building was acquired by the National Dunbar-Abrams Foundation and partially renovated as a community center.
Paul William Dunbar High School opened in 1923 as Bessemer Colored High School, teaching grades 1 through 12; its first class graduated in 1927 under principal J. B. Bickerstaff. In 1928, at English teacher Pearl Blivens's suggestion, it was renamed for Ohio-born poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906). After long-time principal Jackson Solomon Abrams died in 1959, it became an elementary and middle school until closing in 1980, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2011.
The school was renamed in 1928 for Ohio-born poet Paul Laurence Dunbar at the suggestion of English teacher Pearl Blivens. Its football team, the Blue Devils, played Westfield High School 23 times and held a 15-7-1 record in the series.
The building sits at 2715 6th Avenue North and is easily visible from the street. The National Dunbar-Abrams Foundation has taken ownership and is working on renovations to transform it into a community center.
Dunbar's Blue Devils met Westfield High School 23 times and held a winning record of 15-7-1 in the series. They also faced Rosedale High School's Sons of Kong 19 times, leading that series 10-8-1.
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