THE CONSOLIDATED HIGH SCHOOL, LAKE BUTLER, FLORIDA

In 1957, during the period of Jim Crow segregation, the Union County School Board decided to build a new school, consolidating all the surrounding Black schools of the county. Beforehand, Black children were bused to A.L. Mebane School and others in surrounding counties in Florida. This school was built on a 15-acre site at a cost of $219,000 and was located on the west side of town facing US Highway 121, now 6th Street. The school taught grades 1-10 at first and later added grades 11-12. Mrs. Ruth Mildred Jenkins served as principal of the newly formed Consolidated High School. The school mascot was the Blue Devil, and the colors were royal blue and white. Consolidated High School had one of the strongest math and science departments in the state. The school received state and national awards. Additionally, the school had a 41-voice chorus that was featured on The Ken Knight Show in Jacksonville. Other activities included the girls and boys school patrols, football, basketball, track, and a student government. In the Spring of 1968, when all the schools in the county were desegregated, The Consolidated High School became the Lake Butler Elementary School.