The Rich History and Legacy of Esaw Lawson of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

Esaw Lawson

Esaw Lawson was born 1848 in Louisiana  to Henry and Arsena Lawson and his wife Malinda Tom Lawson was born in Clinton, Louisiana. According to the 1870 Unites States Federal Census. He was living in the house with A.D. Henkel and his family.  Esaw was living in Ward 1,  Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. He was a laborer and he could read and write. He and Malinda was married on March 13, 1873. They were the parents of: Willie, B.T. Viola, Chancey, Sallie, Robert, Rosa, Eddie, Arthur, and Mary Lawson. 

Esaw died at the at of ninety-two. He worked at Gullet Cotton Gin Company for years under Mr. King and Mrs. Rostick, he also worked for the Rieds, Kopflers, Sanders and Vernon family, for the city and many other places.

Esaw was the head of the first public school building for colored children. He was the the head of the first Old Fellow Hall building in Amite for colored people. Superintendent A. C. Lewis asked Esaw to call a meeting for the Tangipahoa Parish High School to be built here in Amite, but the colored people voted against the school being built in Amite. The Superintendent gave placed in in Kentwood, Louisiana,

He asked Esaw to give him the name of someone he knew that could hold the principals position. Esaw highly recommend Oliver Wendell Dillion for the position at the Negro Tangipahoa Parish Color School because he knew that he could handle the position.

Celebrating the Life of Willie Pearl Temple

Willie Pearl Temple

Willie Pearl Temple departed this life gently at home in the early morning hours of September 11, 2010. She was 93, born on May 28, 1917, the only child of the late Corine Lewis, by was raided by her grandparents the the late Rance and Lula Magee in Clifton, Louisiana with her adopted brother Bernistine "Bunch" (Nell) McGee.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Robert Temple, Sr. Willie Pearl loved children and to this union they were blessed with a son, Ricky (Sharon) Temple. She brought four children from her previous marriage to the late Carl Bridges,  Katherine Roy (late Water Roy, and the late John Jett, Sr.) of Baton Rouge, La., Barbara Smith (the late Clarence Sr.,) of Amite, LA., Robert Earl Bridges of Baltimore, MD. She welcome Robert's three children from his previous marriage to the late Josephine E. Armstrong. They are Cornelius (Mary) of Galveston, TX, Robert Jr., Amite, LA, and Carolyn (late Arthur) Essex of San Antonio, TX. She then adopted Jackie (Willie) Liggins of Memphis, TN. She was preceded in death by one grandson, Clarence Smith, Jr.

She accepted Christ at an early age at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Clifton, LA., and later joined Butler's Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church with her husband Robert. Willie Pearl was a faithful, dedicated member at Butler's until her health failed her. She served as a Deaconess, class leader and on many other clubs and boards. She loved the music of Zion and worked faithfully within the music ministry of the church.

Her second passion was children. She often said that she was so blessed after her adoption of Jackie that she wanted to give other children a good home. She worked with the foster children program for two decades, providing a home for Jamie and Eric Hawthorne, LaErica Jackson, Janice Ross, Marie Jackson, Pandora and James, as well as, others who lived briefly with her.

In earlier years Willie Pearl was employed with Charity Hospital in New Orleans and at the West Side and Amite Elementary Schools. She stayed busy. In later years despite being a senior herself, she work tirelessly at the Council on Aging at her meal site where she served meals and worked in capacity necessary. She also volunteered at God's Storehouse. In 1996 Willie Pearl was elected Queen for the Tangipahoa Council on Aging.

She leaves to cherish her memory her children, sixteen grandchildren, numerous of great grandchildren, a large house of nephews and nieces and other relatives and friends. Her Godchildren, Trichelle Brumfield and Dimetria Evans will miss her greatly. 

Source: Funeral Program of Willie Pearl Temple, 

Contributed by: Richardson Funeral Home, Amite, Louisiana

O.W. Dillon School to Be Placed on the the National Register of Historic Places

 Delegation Visited  O.W. Dillon School
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

This past week a delegation organized by Dieone Johnson, Executive Director for O.W. Dillon Preservation Organization met with Jessica G. Richardson, National Register Coordinator, Division of the Historic Preservation, Office of Cultural Development. The delegation and Executive Director toured the school with Jessica, educating her about the history of the school.  

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic place worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America's historic and archeological resources. 

Tangipahoa Parish Training School is the oldest in the Nation. ]The school is gaining national attention for its historical Heritage in the African American community.  The doors opened in 191l and closed several years back. The school fostered the idea of having boys learned scientific agriculture, dairying, and horticulture for girls; sewing, domestic economy, cooking, and other life skills training.  The Tangipahoa Parish Training School drew many students from surrounding parishes, including Washington,  St. Tammany, St. Helena, East and West Feliciana. Some students came from Mississippi to get an education. 

The delegation toured the school that could be used as Community Enrichment Center,  Museum & Cultural Center, and a vocational training school. They visited the classrooms, gymnasium, the cafeteria, and the school grounds.

During the visit, Susie Bates and Valeria Temple Thompson alumni's of the school reminisce about their school days and the staff of the school. Also attending were local historian and television talk show host Antoinette Harrell joined the delegation to help them document the rich history of the school. Youth photographers; Connor, Chase and Jo'elle Lacoste took pictures for photo documentation. 

O.W. Dillon School
Kentwood, Louisiana
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

O.W. Dillon School
Kentwood, Louisiana
Photo Credit: Connor LaCoste

O.W. Dillon School
Kentwood, Louisiana
Photo Credit: Connor LaCoste

The Obituary of Mrs. Verdie P. Dillon

Mrs. Verdie P. Dillion

Mrs. Verdie P. Dillon was born to Hilery and Laura Powell, Oct 15, 1885 in Mound Bayou, Mississippi.  She was married to the Mr. O.W. Dillion who preceded her in death. At an early age, Mrs. Dillon united with the Methodist Church and since then has been an active member of St. James United Methodist Church, Magnolia, Mississippi.

She was a faithful member of the choir, United Methodist Women Organization and a dedicated Sunday School teacher. Although Mrs. Dillon's public service to education was in Louisiana, she remained a loyal citizen of Magnolia and surrounding areas of Pike County.

Her interest in mankind, civic and educational organization were reflected in her active affiliations in the Lillie Mae Bryant Federated Club and the Local, State and National Retired Teacher's Association.

Even though Mrs. Dillon had no children of her own, she became a mother to countless of children in the surrounding areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, included among them is a devoted son, included among them is devoted son, Melburne Dillion, and his wife, Mrs. Louise Dillon. Other survivors are six grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, Mrs. Bonita Ratliff, Mr. Austine Dillon, brother-in-law; Mrs. Ollie Lawrence, sister-in-law; and a host of other nieces and nephews.

"Like a stalk of corn that ripen in its seasons, she enjoyed the spring of life, endured the toil of summer, culled the fruits of autumn and passed through the rigors of winter, all to embrace the joy and bliss of eternal years."

And Now She Rests




Source: Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies
              Irene Ried Morris Collection

Tangipahoa Parish Colored Training School

Professor Oliver Wendell Dillon

Professor Oliver Wendell Dillon was born October 15, 1882, and died May 18, 1954, in Magnolia, Mississippi, he received his B.S. Degree in Science from Alcorn A. & M. College, in Alcorn, Mississippi and completed his post-graduate work from Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia.

The Tangipahoa Parish Training School, founded in 1911 was the first colored training school in the entire South. The most complete account of the establishment of the school is found in Edward E. Redcay, County Training Schools and Public Education for Negroes in the South, (Washington D. C., September 1910, by Professor A.M. Strange).

The school was the first color training school in the south and one of the first rural public schools providing secondary education for Negroes in the nation. The Tangipahoa Parish Training School concept was extended fully in 1918,  Mr. Oliver Wendell Dillon, during the first year of the founding of his administration. School donations were made through the Julius Rosenwald Fund, The Slater Fund, the state, and parish, and by the supporter of the school, communities both black and white.

O.W. Dillion Colored Training School in Kentwood, LA 

Professor Dillon's contribution in the area of education was a regional impact. The school provided educational instructions for Negro children in grades one through eleven with stress on Vocational and Industrial education at the secondary level. It would also provide teachers training so that its graduates could staff the rural black schools in the parish. The colored training schools were the real beginning of secondary public education for blacks in the rural south.

After seeing his dream of a lifetime shattered, Mr. O. W. Dillon, principal of the Tangipahoa Parish Training School, retired on May 17, 1952, at 69 years old. Although his hope of establishing a normal college in Kentwood to train Black teachers had been dead for many years, he left behind 35 years of sincere service to his people and a better understanding between the white and black races.

When Mr. Dillon first came to Kentwood in 1917 to take charge of the one-room, one-teacher, two months a year school, the town was a booming sawmill center and the largest community in the parish. In 1917, Mr. Dillon received $1,000 from the Brooks Scanlon Lumber Co. and the Natalbany Lumber Co. in order to hire three other teachers and extend the school term to a full nine months for 200 students.

He continued his money-raising efforts to match $5,000 promised by the State Supervisor of Negro Education, which he accomplished within two days through diligence and the assistance of a Mr. Wayne and Mr. H.A. Addison. This endeavor resulted in a new building to replace one that had burned and the girls and boys dormitories that had also been destroyed by fire. Mr. Dillon was undaunted by these setbacks. His next appeal was too rich Northerners, and he was rewarded with enough funds to rebuild both buildings. His ingenuity proved valuable in replacing these building when he appealed to the local board to buy a one-man machine and pay for the millwork to make cement blocks.

After securing the machine, he implored the Negro people in the area to supply labor. They made 40,0000 cement blocks, one at a time, and erected a building for educating the children of this and surrounding areas. He was also instrumental in getting 30 boys from the National Youth Organization in New Orleans, to come to Kentwood and enroll in school. During their stay, enough blocks were made to build a teacher's home for faculty members. Frustration, highs and lows, 35 years of hard work and commuting  15 miles one way each day, resulting in improving the lives of thousands of your people. Mr. Dillion returned to his father's farm in Magnolia, Miss., after his retirement, along with wife, Verdie Dillion, where they lived until their deaths.

Source: Tangipahoa Parish Training School/Dillion Memorial High School Reunion 1995

The History and Legacy of Fochia Varnado Wilson

Mrs. Fochia Varnado Wilson, a graduate of the Tangipahoa Parish Training School, came to the Kentwood, Louisiana from Rose Hill, Mississippi to serve as a home economics teacher. She is also a graduate of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Later she studied at Columbia University and received her Masters in Education degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

As a high school teacher, she taught food and sewing classes, sponsored clubs and student trips for many years.  After teaching numerous girls to be “young ladies”. In  1973 she was appointed as principal of Kentwood Elementary School, formerly Dillon Memorial High School.  She was honored as “Principal of the Year”.  She also served as a member of the Tangipahoa Parish Library, The Southeastern Louisiana Reading Council. 

Mrs. Wilson almost single-handedly raised money to pay for the computerization of the Kentwood Elementary Library. She is extremely supportive of any program, which will help educate the children in her charge and give them a better start in life.

“ I am a firm believer that schools exist for pupils; therefore, I envision my task as principal to offer the best possible environment conducive to learning." It is my belief that the school library should foster the enrichment of children’s lives-intellectually, personally, socially and culturally through reading and other activities of the library said Mrs. Wilson.

Mrs. Wilson was a pioneer in many programs, which emphasize reading and the use of the library. Kentwood Elementary School became the first automated library in Tangipahoa Parish and it serves as a model for all other libraries in the parish. Because of Mrs. Wilson’s commitment, the Kentwood Elementary library is utilized to the maximum and provides unlimited service to its patrons.

Mrs. Fochia Varnado Wilson, former Principal of Kentwood Elementary School, was initiated into the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa on January 23, 1992.