Wheatley school on the north side of Poplar Bluff has a rich and storied history.
Since 1901 there has been a school on the property, and for most of its existence, it was the center of a rich and vibrant African American community. It is a place those who preserve it today say met the needs of working and middle-class African American residents in the city.
Considered to be one of the best schools for African Americans in Missouri in the 1950s, students attended the school from kindergarten to grade 12.
The school remained segregated until 1958 when Wheatley and Poplar Bluff schools began to integrate. The school became completely integrated in 1968 and later was converted to an early childhood center until its closure in 2001.
Named for poet Phillis Wheatley, the school endeavors to serve the community today in much the same way as before, but with the addition of a museum on the second floor.
Rex Rattler Sr. is the business manager for the Wheatley Historic Preservation Association and describes how Wheatley’s current mission came to be.
“It was an educational facility right in the center of the community, so it served a very vital role in my personal opinion. It became a museum in 2001,” said Rattler, who operates a longtime business across the street from the school. “They established a nonprofit organization that is referred to as the WHPA for Wheatley Historic Preservation Association.
“(With) that in mind, there were a couple of main points that they wanted to emphasize. One was to maintain the integrity of Wheatley School and its contributions in the community as a whole, and then they also wanted to educate the minds of the young people and to point them in the right direction.”
The lower level of the building is where the association reaches out to area students by offering a tutoring program on Saturdays. They also offer the gymnasium for functions and gatherings.
The building is old and needs work, according to Rattler, who said donations are encouraged. Fundraisers are held during the year to solicit contributions.
The WHPA reached out recently and was assisted in writing a grant that provided new computers as a way of helping students. The hope is that more grants will come to assist in the upkeep and repair of the building, Rattler said.
“We did a walkthrough of the building (with the grant writer) and she felt like there was great potential here and we had a dialogue about some of the things that could happen,” Rattler said. “There are some things that need to be replaced.
“We need a new heating system. We need some new lights and just about everything that you can think of that a building would need.
“Just like a home, it needs to be upkept. So yes, we have a wide variety of things that need to take place to make sure that we continue to maintain the integrity of the school, to display the historical significance and contributions of the school to our community, and to educate the minds of the young people.”
The second floor’s exhibits are varied but emphasize the history of the school as a historic African American school, as well as contributions African Americans have made to society.
There is art, a theater room, the school’s trophy case, and artifacts of the school’s history. Be sure to check out the 1937 and 1938 Missouri Negro Interscholastic Athletic Association championship teams, the top honor for black high school teams at the time.
“There is a library with books that talk a lot about African American history,” Rattler said. “During the summertime, the students are able to come in and absorb a program that has been designed to maintain their education during the course of the summer.
“We have photo albums of different people that graduated from the school. We have class pictures of some of the graduates as well.”
There is a room that was dedicated by Mr. Jeffrey Moore, who has accumulated a lot of things of historical value and significance, Rattler continued.
“A lot of the inventions that were actually made by black people (are recognized here),” Rattler said. “It may not be the invention at the time, but it represents the inventions that were made.
“We have another room down at the end of the Hall that has some other significant things. Instead of telling you everything that’s up here, a person should make an appointment to come up here and be able to witness for themselves the things of historical value.”
The Wheatley School Museum is one of four structures that are a part of the Garfield Historic District, which has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. Neighboring Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, which is over 100 years old, and Rattler’s Grocery, historically known as Carter’s Grocery and owned by Rex Rattler Sr., are part of the district as well. The grocery serves as a great place for visitors to share their personal experiences with Wheatley School.
“I’ll be over at the store working when sometimes I have people who have come in from out of town and they say, you know, my parents went to school over here at Wheatley, and I say ‘Really? Would you like to get a tour?’ So, I close down the store and we’ll go over there and take a take a look.”
Rattler says the best way to get a tour of the museum is to contact a board member. Tours are usually conducted on a one-on-one basis. He wants everyone to come and experience this unique glimpse into Poplar Bluff’s history.
“We want to emphasize the things that have been historically African American,” said Rattler. “I don’t want to tell it all. I want you to come by and see the building and observe it for yourself and see if there’s a part that you can play in its history.”