Historical Marker

Longview Womack High School

Historical marker location:

Longview, Texas

( Gum Street at Boyd)

BUILT IN 1930 ON GUM STREET, LONGVIEW NEGRO HIGH SCHOOL SERVED AS A SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS. IN 1946, IT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE, AND A NEW 16-ROOM SCHOOL WAS BUILT AT BOYD AND LUCKETT STREETS. THE SCHOOL’S NAME CHANGED CA. 1959-1960 TO HONOR AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER, MRS. MARY C. WOMACK. LESLIE J. WHITE AND J. L. EVERHART SERVED AS THE SCHOOL’S DEDICATED PRINCIPALS AND WERE BOTH RECOGNIZED BY THE EAST TEXAS BLACK EDUCATORS HALL OF FAME. WHEN A FEDERAL DESEGREGATION ORDER WAS ISSUED, THE SCHOOL WAS CLOSED AND LATER TORN DOWN. DESPITE THE CHALLENGING TIMES, LONGVIEW/WOMACK HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATED AND DEVELOPED ITS AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS INTO VALUABLE CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIETY.