The Early educational experiences of George W. Carver

From Diamond Grove to Neosho (1864-1876)

Edward Williamson

February 2015

George Washington Carver, famous agriculturalist and educator, was born near

the end of the Civil War in Newton County, Missouri, the slave of Moses and Susan

Carver. His mother, named Mary had previously given birth to another son, Jim. These

three occupied a small cabin close to the one belonging to Moses and Susan.

At some point, probably in early 1865, Southern sympathizers launched a raid on

the Carver farm taking Mary and her infant son, George. Moses Carver sent a man

named John Bentley to try and recover Mary and George, but only George was found,

alone and sick along the side of a road leading south into Arkansas. Bentley received a

horse worth $300 as payment for his efforts. Mary was never heard from again. George

and Jim were subsequently cared for by Moses and Susan Carver.

If George was born in late fall 1864 he might have been 6 months old at the time

of his mother’s abduction. He certainly did not have a lengthy time to bond with his

mother and it seems doubtful that he would have been weaned at the time. It is highly

unlikely that Mrs. Carver, who would have been fifty years old at the time was the one

who nursed him. So, who nursed George? Gart argued that George’s later problems

with respiratory infections were a result of a sudden cessation of breast feeding (2014,

pp. 37-38), which is a possibility. From a developmental perspective, this is an important

item to consider. A baby’s first teachers are its parents. In the case of George Carver,

he never knew his father who supposedly was killed in an accident prior to his birth, and

he only had a short time with his mother. It is known that Moses and Susan Carver

became surrogate parents to George and Jim, but was there someone else during that

crucial time when George nearly died from whooping cough? Regardless, at some point

the Carvers became the de facto parents.

This essay will examine the early educational experiences of George Carver,

essentially the time period between his birth and his removal to Neosho around the age

of twelve to attend school. This time period (roughly 1864-1876) coincides with

George’s residence on the Moses Carver farm. The essay concludes with a discussion

of Carver’s educational experiences in Neosho and his subsequent move to Fort Scott,

Kansas.

Carver’s early educational experiences can be organized in the following way: 1)

Carver was taught at home by Moses and Susan Carver; 2) Carver received some

education at the Sunday School he attended at the Locust Grove church; 3) Carver

attempted to go to school at the Locust Grove school, but was refused; 4) Carver might

have been tutored by Steven Slane; 5) Carver left Diamond Grove and moved to

Neosho to attend the Neosho Colored School; 6) Carver was taught by Mariah Watkins

and the African American community in Neosho, including its churches; and 7) Carver

moves to Fort Scott, Kansas to continue his education.

These seven avenues of educational experiences range from informal to formal,

from practical (or vocational) to academic, and include a moral educational component

as well, whether the work ethic morality of the Carvers, or the Christian based morality

of Mariah Watkins. Taken together they provide an excellent overview of the

educational preparation George Carver took with him when he left Missouri for Kansas

in 1878. These early educational experiences provided Carver with the tools and

dispositions to persevere in pursuing further education to include an advanced degree

from a prestigious agricultural college. A case can be made that Carver’s early

educational experiences, obtained primarily in the Diamond Grove area, directly

impacted subsequent generations of students at Tuskegee and throughout the United

States. This is because the lessons he learned here first provided recurring solutions to

problems he encountered later in life, as evidenced in his writings and speeches. These

early educational experiences are manifested most readily in Carver’s “I Can” mentality

throughout his life.

Each of these early educational experiences will be discussed utilizing Carver’s

own words and other source materials to try and place them in their proper place with

regard to his subsequent rise to fame and influence.

Carver was taught at home by Moses and Susan

Once George was returned to the Moses Carver farm he was faced with a most

distressing situation, the loss of his mother, Mary. George was also suffering from a life

threatening illness, whooping cough. Despite these setbacks he survived. Whoever took

care of and nurtured young George, the next several years were spent developing

physically and cognitively much like any other young child in the latter half of the 1860s.

Moses and Susan Carver assumed responsibility for the raising of both George

and his older brother, Jim. The boys experienced life in rural Missouri and the

challenges of living on an active farm. As they grew older they would have been given

various chores to complete in keeping with their abilities.

During this formative time for George and Jim there were no opportunities for

formal education. What the boys learned was how to farm and take care of household

needs in common with the majority of Americans at the time. In this endeavor they had

good examples of what Max Weber termed the “Protestant Work Ethic” in the persons

of Moses and Susan Carver. These were lessons George would benefit from throughout

his life.

The importance of effective early nurturing is reflected today in the Parents as

First Teachers (PAT) program. Moses and Susan Carver would have to be classified as

PATs because of their immense role in the early upbringing of George W. Carver.

Following the abduction of George’s mother, Mary, and prior to his move to Neosho,

Missouri, these two were the ones who spent the most time with him and helped teach

him, albeit informally.

The role of parents as their children’s first teachers has been emphasized in

Missouri through the PAT program. Missouri was one of the first states to develop a

comprehensive program to provide assistance to parents in their efforts to serve as first

teachers. Interestingly, in light of recent events, Ferguson, Missouri was one of the

original sites for this program (Hippert, 2014, para 1).

With regard to the learning he obtained growing up in the Carver household,

George wrote “At this time I had never heard of botany and could scerly (scarcely,

EAW) read” (1897 Or Thereabouts, George Washington Carver’s own brief history of

his life). He also wrote, “Mr. and Mrs. Carver were very kind to me and I thank them so

much for my home training. They encourogyed (encouraged, EAW) me to secure

knowledge helping me all they could, but this was quite limited” (1897…).

It has been speculated that Moses and Susan Carver were illiterate. Whether

they were illiterate, semi-literate or fully literate, they presumably educated George and

Jim to at least their own level of ability. In addition, the Carvers provided George with a

secure base while allowing him the freedom to roam their farm and the neighborhood

wherever his curiosity led him. As Krahe and Catton claim, “Most importantly, the

physical environment of the farm itself and the influence of Moses and Susan Carver

shaped the man that young George would become in profound ways” (2014, p. 14).

It cannot be emphasized enough that Moses and Susan Carver provided the

groundwork for George’s later acquisition of knowledge. They provided opportunities for

learning (whether on the farm, through hiring a tutor, or allowing George to move to

Neosho), they provided materials for learning and, most importantly of all, they provided

encouragement for learning.

As Carver later wrote,

When just a mere tot in short dresses my very soul thirsted for an education. I

literally lived in the woods. I wanted to know every strange stone, flower, insect,

bird, or beast. No one could tell me. My only book was an old Webster’s

Elementary Spelling Book. I would seek out the answer here without satisfaction.

I almost knew that book by heart. (A Brief sketch of my life)

In the absence of formal educational experiences, Carver relied upon whatever

resources and opportunities he could, including utilizing the only book at his disposal.

He later wrote to Dr. Louis H. Pammel, “My education was picked up here and there.

Mr. and Mrs. Carver taught me to read, spell and write just a little” (Letter to Dr. Louis H.

Pammel, May 5, 1922). Most of George’s education while living with the Carvers

centered on practical or vocational skills as reported by Toogood:

…George worked mostly in the home with his foster mother, Susan Carver. She

introduced him to the handicrafts of weaving, knitting, and sewing so necessary

for making the clothes in the rural communities of southwest Missouri.

Throughout his life George Carver continued to develop these skills, sometimes

doing so as part of his livelihood…”. (1973, p. 30)

George Carver put these vocational skills to good use as he traveled far and wide in

pursuit of his education. He was able to provide for his physical needs by washing

clothes and cooking, among other types of domestic activities. He continued learning

and practicing these vocational skills after leaving the farm, especially when he moved

in with the Watkins family in Neosho, Missouri. In addition to practical skills George

learned how to paint and to crochet, enabling him to express some of his more creative

abilities. Most of the time he was able to acquire these skills through observation.

Carver was taught at church

Another informal opportunity for education was available to George Carver

through local churches. Many congregations provided Sunday School for their

members. The earliest Sunday Schools had been organized by Robert Raikes in

England to provide rudimentary education to young boys who had no other

opportunities for education because they worked in factories six days a week. While

some churches in the United States provided Sunday School to replace public school

education most modified it to provide religious instruction rather than focusing on

academics.

The primary textbook of the Sunday School was the Bible. It was deemed

important for Christians to be able to read the Bible. So, while Sunday School was not a

primary location for academic pursuits, it would be natural for some pedagogical

procedures to take place there.

Moses and Susan Carver were not known as regular church members. They

were certainly highly moral people as evidenced by their life and conduct, but seemed

to have little use for organized religion. This would have undoubtedly influenced George

and Jim as they were growing up on the Carver farm. In fact, as he explained to Isabelle

Coleman on July 24, 1931, George claimed to not know what prayer or Sunday School

were at the time of his conversion. There is also disagreement on whether or not Carver

even attended Sunday School. Carver himself stated, “My brother and myself were the

only colored children in the neighborhood and of course, we could not go to a church or

Sunday school, or school of any kind” (Letter to Miss Isabelle Coleman, July 24, 1931).

But, others recall Jim and George attending Sunday School, at least

occasionally. Toogood reports, “According to accounts from Diamond ‘old timers,’ the

brothers played freely with the white children and attended regular Sunday School

classes with them at the Locust Grove schoolhouse” (1973, p. 25); and also, “He

(Moses Carver, EAW) did not object, however, to the boys walking the mile up the road

to the Locust Grove Church where they could enjoy the companionship and neighborly

exchange which the Sunday gatherings provided” (p. 31).

As reported by Gart (2014):

There is some evidence that Carver may have also briefly attended a Sunday

school taught by Flora Abbott at the Locust Grove Church. Forbes Harris Brown,

a childhood friend of George W. Carver, reported in an oral interview conducted

in the 1950s that his brother, Will Brown, went with Carver to the Sunday school

at Locust Grove Church. According to Brown, the Sunday school class was

opened to George W. Carver as a ‘concession…to serve as a salve to the

conscience of the community because of strong religious belief.” (p. 55)

The document prepared by the National Park Service regarding the 1872 Neosho

Colored School quoted Forbes Brown as saying in 1952 that:

his brother Will was a fellow student of George’s in Mrs. Abbott’s Sunday School

class. This was not long after the close of the Civil War and the resentment

towards the Negro was such as to prevent George from attending the day school.

(Susan Richard Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 35)

With specific regard to the Locust Grove church/school:

The school was established at Locust Grove in the late 1860s or early 1870s,

and students met in a building that doubled as a church on Sundays. The school

was located less than a mile from Moses Carver’s farm, and George Washington

Carver and his brother Jim reportedly attended Sunday School and church

services there as children. (p. 35)

Whether or not George Carver actually attended Sunday School at Locust Grove church

while living with Moses and Susan, the point remains that even if he did, little of

pedagogical significance would have taken place. This is just another possible influence

during his early educational experiences. As Krahe and Catton claim, “The irreligious

Carvers did not provide any sort of spiritual foundation for George and his brother,

although the boys took part in some rudimentary Christian instruction at the local

church, offered by the same folks who denied them academic schooling” (2014, p. 15).

Once George moved to Neosho to attend school he did receive much more

religious instruction from Andrew and Mariah Watkins, primarily Mariah who gave him a

Bible. George was also able to attend services at several African American churches in

Neosho such as Second Baptist, Wesley Chapel, and the A.M.E. congregation. His

teacher at the Neosho Colored School, Stephen Frost, was also a Baptist pastor.

Carver’s time in Neosho marked the beginning of a life-long commitment to faithful

attendance of religious services.

Carver tried to attend his neighborhood school but was refused

“Although a new Missouri Constitution written in 1865 provided blacks legal

public access to education, George was unable to attend the local Locust Grove School

because of his race” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). Prior to the end of the Civil

War it was illegal in Missouri to educate slaves. George had been born under the 1820

Constitution of the State of Missouri which encouraged the establishment of schools in

each township for the free education of the poor. Nothing was mentioned in the 1820

Constitution concerning the education of African Americans, whether free or slave.

However, an 1847 amendment to the state constitution specifically prohibited the

education of slaves. This was the law of Missouri when George Carver was born.

George was an infant when the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished in

Missouri. For the next several years he received informal educational experiences from

those who raised him. Meanwhile, in 1865, a new Missouri Constitution was adopted

guaranteeing free schools for all persons in the state between the ages of five and

twenty-one years (Article XI, Section 1). Under this Constitution it was stated that

separate schools “may be established” for “children of African descent” (Article XI,

Section 2).

The 1875 Missouri Constitution, adopted just before the time Carver left Diamond

Grove to travel to Neosho provided for free schools for all persons between the ages of

six and twenty years (Article XI, Section 1). However, in this Constitution it was stated

that separate schools “shall be established for the education of children of African

descent” (Article XI, Section 3). The change in wording from “may” to “shall” denotes

that segregation had become the law of Missouri by 1875, not just permitted as under

the 1865 Constitution, but now required.

While there are varied reports as to whether George Carver was even allowed

into the Locust Grove school, and with regard to how many days he was actually able to

attend, it is certain that he obtained no formal education from this experience. This

episode probably represented the first time George experienced racism and prejudice to

such a degree. This would not be the last time, unfortunately. As Toogood described,

“…when Moses Carver expressed an interest in enrolling his boys in the Locust Grove

school, the white majority balked. After only one school year in Diamond, George and

Jim painfully came to realize their inferior status as Negroes” (1973, p. 25).

Gart describes George’s attempt at gaining an education in the local school:

It is believed that for perhaps a week or two, maybe even less, Carver and his

brother James attended a public school known as Locust Grove School, which

met at the Locust Grove Church, located approximately one mile from the Moses

Carver farm. (2014, p. 54).

Gart goes on to explain that racism was the reason George and Jim were denied an

education in the local school, “Shortly after arriving, James and George learned they

could not continue their studies because of their race” (p. 55). George Jackson is

quoted as saying that his wife, “went to school with him for three days at Locust Grove.

A complaint was made to the school board about George being in attendance there”

(Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 35).

This source is also utilized by Gart:

One contemporary of George W. Carver, whose wife attended the school in the

1870s and who was later interviewed by the National Park Service in the 1950s,

stated that James and George remained at Locust Grove School for three days

before being turned away. (2014, p. 55)

Whether George and Jim were able to attend for three days, or were turned away on

their very first day, the fact remains that they were discriminated against because of

their race and therefore received no formal education in their local school. As reported

by Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc.:

It was at Locust Grove that Carver encountered the first obstacle to receiving an

education. Around 1875, George and Jim attempted to join their white neighbors

at the school in Locust Grove. By most accounts, they were welcome on

Sundays, but not at the ‘day school’. Interviews with early residents of the area

that were held in the 1950s revealed that they boys were refused entrance to the

school because they were black. (2012, p. 35)

Carver himself described the situation in 1897, “As we lived in the country no colored

schools were available So I was permitted to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho).”

While the situation at the Locust Grove school is disturbing, it was nonetheless legal

and acceptable in Missouri according to the 1865 and 1875 Constitutions. In Marion

Township where Locust Grove school was located there were not enough African

Americans of school age to require the provision of a separate school and the residents

of Marion Township were not willing in 1875 (when it seems likely that George and Jim

tried to enroll) to consider an integrated school.

Carver might have had a tutor

Several sources indicate that George Carver was tutored sometime between his

failed attempt to enroll at the Locust Grove school (most likely in the fall of 1875) and

his subsequent move to Neosho (in the fall of 1876). The person identified as George’s

tutor was Steven Slane, who taught at the Locust Grove school beginning in either 1875

or 1876. This chronology provides a likely window of opportunity for tutoring between

fall 1875 and fall 1876. This situation would represent the first truly formal educational

experience for George Carver. According to the prospectus for the 1872 Neosho

Colored School document, “Said to have been tutored for a short time by Steven Slane,

Carver’s quest for an education led him to walk eight miles to Neosho, Missouri, in order

to attend the Neosho Colored School” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.).

According to Toogood, this tutoring occurred in the fall of 1876:

In an interview with Park Service historians, Harold Slane reported that his father,

Steven Slane, had tutored George in Diamond sometime after his arrival in the

community in the fall of 1876. In a letter to Harold Slane in the 1930s Carver

confirmed that Steven Slane had tutored him as a boy. (1973, p. 15)

Toogood further reports the following information documented in taped interviews of

Harold Slane, son of Steven Slane:

…told me about having tutored Dr. Carver after school when he was boarding

with the Baynham family who lived near the Locust Grove School…before my

mother and father were married…In later years, in 1932, I visited Dr. Carver at

Tuskegee Institute, and he also reaffirmed to me that he had received tutoring

from my father…[He told me] that he felt that my father’s influence had been

great in helping form his background. He said, “well, I owe more to Steven L.

Slane than any person I’ve ever known”.

…[father said that] he found Dr. Carver to be an exceptionally brilliant boy, and

that he felt that he had given him the benefit of all the training he could, and he

advised him to go on up into Iowa where he could get further school. (1973, p.

26)

Gart also cites these same sources as showing that “…some scholars have argued that

the Carvers engaged Steven L. Slane, the white teacher at Locust Grove School, for a

few months in 1876 to tutor the two boys after they were barred from the school” ( 2014,

p. 56). The 1872 Neosho Colored School Final Report states that Steven Slane,

began teaching at Locust Grove School in 1875 or 1876 and spent the next three

decades teaching in Newton County Schools. He is believed to have tutored

George in his spare time, providing the young man with his first schooling, as

well as a strong desire to learn more. (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates,

Inc., 2012, p. 36)

It seems that Moses Carver was willing to hire a tutor to help educate George. This is

another example of the encouragement he provided to the young man with regard to

getting a good start in life. While it is not known how long George was tutored, nor the

extent to which Mr. Slane was able to impart knowledge to him, this was yet another

opportunity to learn. Whatever he learned he took with him as he left Diamond Grove for

Neosho and a greater opportunity.

Carver went to the Neosho Colored School when he was around 12

As Carver himself explains, “As we lived in the country no colored schools were

available So I was permitted to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho). This simply

sharpened my apetite (appetite, EAW) for more knowledge” (1897). Since he was

denied the opportunity for an education in his local community, George asked for and

received permission to leave the Moses Carver farm and move to Neosho. George was

not always consistent in his reporting about how long he remained in Neosho for

schooling. In one source he claims:

At the age of 19 years my brother left the old home for Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Shortly after, at the age of 10 years, I left for Neosho, a little town just 8 miles

from our farm, where I could go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were perfectly

willing for us to go where we could be educated the same as white children. I

remained here about two years, got an opportunity to go to Fort Scott, Kansas

with a family. (A Brief sketch of my life)

While in a letter to Dr. Louis H. Pammel he states, “I went to Neosho, Mo., public school

for about nine months, then to Fort Scott town school, for about the same length of time”

(May 5, 1922). There is little consistency in the reported dates for when George Carver

arrived in Neosho, or for how old he was at the time. According to the prospectus

document for the 1872 Colored School, “His quest began in 1876 as he walked eight

miles from his birthplace and childhood home in Diamond Grove, Missouri to attend the

1872 Neosho Colored School” (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). While Toogood

reported:

…young Carver walked the 8 miles to town, or Neosho, to enroll in the school for

Negroes. According to his best recollection of the time, George remembered

himself to be between 10-12 years old. The school he joined had been founded

in 1872 to educate some 3 percent in the county who were Negro. They met in a

small one-room house. (1973, p. 26)

Gart summarizes the earlier sources and states, “Around 1876, at the approximate age

of eleven, Carver was permitted by Moses and Susan Carver to travel eight miles south

to Neosho, Missouri” (2014, p. 56). Also, “Carver…sought out a small one-room house

located at 639 Young Street, later known as the Neosho Colored School, which served

as a school for African Americans” (p. 56).

The 1872 Neosho Colored School Final Report states:

Around 1876, young George Washington Carver decided it was worth leaving his

home to find a school that would accept him as a student. He had surely heard of

the school in Neosho that welcomed black children and was even run by a black

teacher. (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., 2012, p. 36)

The same source provides the following time frame for Carver’s attendance at the

school, “Carver attended this school between December 1876 and the summer of 1878”

(p. 49). While not exactly overlapping, Gart provides a similar time frame:

George W. Carver remained at the Neosho Colored School for only a short time,

perhaps between nine and twenty-four months spanning between 1877 and

1878. The exact reasons why Carver left the school are not known, but one

theory holds that he became disillusioned with Frost, whom he believed knew

even less than himself. (2014, p. 59)

The man who taught at the Neosho Colored school during Carver’s time there was

Stephen S. Frost. “In January 1875, teaching duties at the new school were taken on by

Stephen S. Frost, who taught nearly every term at the school for the next decade”

(Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.). Gart agrees with this information reporting, “In

January 1875, Stephen S. Frost, a young black man who was no more than twenty-five

years old, assumed teaching duties at the school. Frost had the unique distinction of

being George W. Carver’s first formal teacher” (2014, p. 58).

The school facilities were less than desirable and Mr. Frost was not

well-educated, but for George Carver this was a chance to finally receive extensive

formal education and to associate with a larger community of African Americans than he

had ever had opportunity to do before. As the prospectus for the 1872 Neosho Colored

School states:

At the Neosho Colored School under the tutelage of Stephen S. Frost, a man

with little training, George thrived and obtained a certificate of merit. Though the

quality of African-American education in Newton County was reported as poor,

George later recalled that this door of opportunity at the Neosho Colored School

sharpened his appetite for more learning. (Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.)

Gart reports, “Writing to Raleigh H. Merritt in July 1927, Carver explained, ‘The first

school was simply the small, crude town school poorly equipped [in] every way’. Carver

stated that the schoolhouse was furnished with ‘crude wooden benches and other

rickety furniture.’’ (2014, pp. 58-59).

Regardless of the quality of the school or the preparation of Mr. Frost, George

Carver experienced academic success and gained recognition for his abilities as noted

by Gart, “On Friday, December 22, 1876, Carver received a reward of merit from Frost,

recognizing his ‘perfect studies and good conduct during the past week’” (2014, p. 59).

The educational experience that Carver had in Neosho would bear little resemblance to

education in Neosho, Missouri in the present day. Yet, George learned all that he could

at the feet of Mr. Frost and then took that knowledge with him further down the road to

Fort Scott, Kansas and then eventually to Tuskegee, Alabama.

Stephen Frost is often overlooked in the educational history of George

Washington Carver because of the subsequent greatness of his pupil. While Frost

certainly had his limitations, it was his desire to teach those who had not previously had

opportunity for schooling which led him to Neosho. He traveled extensively himself in

order to learn how to read and write. Then, once he became literate, he strove to help

others become literate as well. Stephen Frost helped others as best he could, including

George Carver. In addition to being a school teacher, Stephen Frost was also a Baptist

minister which undoubtedly influenced his students probably as much as the limited

amount of knowledge he could give them. He provided moral teachings as well as book

learning.

He was taught by Mariah Watkins in Neosho

When Carver moved to Neosho in 1876 he became part of a larger African

American community for the first time in his life. Up until this point his growth and

development had taken place primarily through interactions with Moses and Susan

Carver and others in the Diamond Grove community. But, in Neosho, Carver lived with

Andrew and Mariah Watkins, well known members of the African American community,

attended African American churches, and went to school with others of his race, being

taught by an African American teacher, Stephen Frost.

The educational experiences Carver received from Mariah Watkins were not

necessarily formal in nature. However, they did influence him throughout the rest of his

life. These educational experiences, in conjunction with the formal education received at

the school in Neosho, were primarily spiritual and practical in nature.

Carver had become a Christian prior to leaving Diamond Grove and probably

attended some religious services in that community. However, when he arrived in

Neosho and fell under the influence of Mariah Watkins this religious pathway became

much more important. There were at least three African American churches in the

vicinity of the home of Andrew and Mariah Watkins. Carver was taken to services while

living with Mariah. She also gave him a Bible that he treasured the rest of his life. As the

prospectus of the 1872 Neosho Colored School states, “Aunt Mariah, a midwife and

baby nurse, taught George herbal medicine and domestic skills. She also took him to

church and gave him his first Bible, which he cherished throughout his life” (Carver

Birthplace Association, n.d.). Gart agrees with this statement, “Lawrence Elliott asserted

that Mariah provided Carver with his first Bible, ‘a leather volume already worn by much

loving use’” (2014, p. 62).

Not only did Mariah Watkins influence George in spiritual matters and by

teaching him domestic skills, she also influenced him to a life of greater good and

service as evidenced by the prospectus document of the 1872 Neosho Colored School,

“George Washington Carver later recalled that Aunt Mariah instructed, ‘You must learn

all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people”

(Carver Birthplace Association, n.d.).The time period from 1876 until 1878 which Carver

spent in Neosho culminated his early educational experiences and provided him with

necessary skills and knowledge enabling him to succeed in life. The moral, spiritual,

practical and pedagogical training he obtained in Neosho was immensely important for

his future endeavors.

Departure for Fort Scott, Kansas

Carver stated,

As we lived in the country no colored schools were available so I was permitted

to go 8 miles to a school at town (Neosho). This simply sharpened my apetite for

more knowledge. I managed to secure all of my meager wardrobe from home

and when they heard from me I was cooking for a wealthy family in Ft Scott

Kans. For my board, cloths and school privileges. Of course they were indignant

and sent for me to come home at once, to die, as the family doctor had told them

I would never live to see 21 years of age. I trusted to God and pressed on (I had

been a Christian since about 8 years old.)…My health began improving and I

remained here for two years,… (1897 or thereabouts)

In another document, Carver stated,

Shortly after, at the age of 10 years, I left for Neosho, a little town just 8 miles

from our farm, where I could go to school. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were perfectly

willing for us to go where we could be educated the same as white children. I

remained here about two years, got an opportunity to go to Fort Scott, Kansas

with a family. They drove through the country. (A Brief sketch)

Carver arrived in Neosho, Missouri sometime in the fall of 1876 and began attending the

school conducted by Stephen Frost. He left Neosho for Fort Scott, Kansas sometime in

1878 and attended Fort Scott Colored Public School (in the building formerly serving as

the Post Hospital on the grounds of Fort Scott). This was the second school in Fort

Scott serving African Americans. From 1865-1872, the Freedmen’s School, also known

as Adams School was in operation.

The Fort Scott Colored Public School was in operation from 1872-1884, and was

the first truly public school for African American children in Fort Scott. This was the

school Carver attended during 1878 and 1879 (Free to Learn: African American Schools

at Fort Scott, n.d.). Carver left Fort Scott immediately following the lynching of Bill

Howard in March 1879.

This awful act is described in the March 27, 1879 edition of The Fort Scott Daily

Monitor. Carver himself wrote a letter many years later containing the following words,

Remained here until they linched a colored man, drug him by our house and

dashed his brains out onto the sidewalk. As young as I was, the horror haunted

me and does even now. I left Fort Scott and went to Olathe, Kansas. (Fuller &

Mattes, 1957, p. 29)

From Fort Scott, Carver journeyed to Paola, Olathe, and Minneapolis, Kansas, picking

up bits and pieces of education along the way. In Minneapolis he finally completed his

high school diploma. Further educational adventures would await George Washington

Carver in Kansas, Iowa, and finally, Alabama.

Summary

I believe George Carver traveled to Neosho in the fall of 1876 to begin his

education at the Neosho Colored School. Since Stephen Frost awarded George Carver

a certificate on December 22, 1876 it is certain he was in school at least by then. I also

believe he would have been approximately twelve years old by that time. The year 1876

is highly symbolic. It was the Centennial of the Independence of the United States of

America. It also witnessed the end of Reconstruction in the south when the contested

Presidential election was decided in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the

promised removal of all Federal troops remaining in the former Confederate states.

Although Missouri was not subject to the stipulations of Reconstruction, this state, in

common with all of the southern states and most of the remaining ones, began passing

legislation restricting the freedoms and opportunities of millions of recently freed African

Americans.

The 1875 Missouri Constitution mandated separate schools for African American

children. Because of this mandate, young George Carver was forced to leave home and

seek out educational opportunities where he could find them, beginning in Neosho,

Missouri. When Carver started on the road to Neosho in the fall of 1876, he was not

only taking his scant belongings, but something more important, early educational

experiences that prepared him for the tough road ahead and also an unceasing desire

to learn more.

References

Carver Birthplace Association. (n.d.).Prospectus. “…The Golden Door of Freedom…”

George Washington Carver and the 1872 Neosho Colored School.

Carver, G.W. (n.d.). A Brief sketch of my life.

Carver, G.W. (1897). 1897 or thereabouts. George Washington Carver’s own brief

history of his life.

Carver, G.W. (1922). Letter to Dr. Louis H. Pammel, May 5.

Carver, G.W. (1931). G.W. Carver to Isabelle Coleman, July 24, 1931, Reel 12, Frame

1264-1265, Microfilm 17,416, the George Washington Carver Papers in the

Tuskegee Institute Archives, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.

Free to Learn: African American Schools at Fort Scott. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/historyculture/freetolearn.htm

Fuller, R.P. & Mattes, M.J. (1957). The Early life of George Washington Carver. George

Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, Missouri.

Gart, J.H. (2014). He shall direct thy paths: The Early life of George W. Carver. Historic

Resource Study, George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO.

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

S Hippert. (2014, Dec. 1). Helping parents & parent educators in times of trauma. [web

log comment]. Retrieved from

https://parentsasteachers.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/helping-parents-parent-

educators-in-times-of-trauma/

Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc. (2012). Final report. Historic Structure

report. 1872 Neosho Colored School. 639 Young Street, Neosho, Missouri. NPS

PMIS 174533.

Krahe, D.L. & Catton, T. (2014). Walking in Credence. An Administrative history of

George Washington Carver National Monument. National Park Service, U.S.

Department of the Interior.

Toogood, A.C. (1973). Historic Resource Study and Administrative History, George

Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO.