Springfield Central High School

Georgia Governor Herman Talmadge created the Minimum Foundation Program in 1949 as part of a statewide equalization effort to improve school buildings and yet maintain racial segregation. Completed in 1956, Springfield Central High School consisted of grades one through twelve and, at the time, had the largest enrollment of all schools in the Effingham County school system. As one of five hundred equalization schools built for black students in the state of Georgia, Springfield matriculated nearly 700 students until its closure in 1970, when it became the integrated Springfield Central Junior High School. Springfield's original nine buildings constructed with red bricks and outdoor walkways are an example of the International Style of architecture, a cost-effective building template characterized by simple lines. Like Springfield Central High School, many midcentury schools throughout the nation reflect this construction design.