Clay County preservation board approves Middleburg Coloured School marker text; state approval delayed

The Clay County Preservation Board voted to advance text for a proposed state historic marker for the Middleburg Coloured School after public testimony that included former students and community advocates.

David Hamm, an attorney and son of Maud Burrows Jackson, and Maud Burrows Jackson, who attended the school, spoke in support of the marker application. Hamm said the school ‘‘holds a special place in the heart of the entire community,’’ and Maud Burrows Jackson described attending the one-room schoolhouse as formative: “I started school there when I was, like, 5 years old. Now I'm 83 years old,” she said.

A board member moved to approve the marker text as written and listed in the agenda; the motion was seconded and carried. The board’s action was to move the application to the next step in the process for an official state historic marker. The motion on the record was: “I move to approve the text as written and appearing in the agenda for Middleburg Coloured School, that it be moved to the next step in the process of approving the official State historic marker for the school.” The motion was seconded and the board chair said, “Everybody in favour say aye” and the motion carried. (The transcript records a mover and a second but speakers for those roles are not named in the record.)

Board members and public speakers also discussed the building’s condition: a condition report completed last spring outlines preservation needs, and the next phase described by staff is to prepare a preservation plan as part of grant writing. A volunteer offered carpentry assistance and was directed to coordinate with staff.

Board members received updates on several other marker projects. The Keystone Heights marker application is complete at the local level and will be funded by the Heritage Commission of Keystone Heights rather than Clay County; that project is awaiting state-level approval. Board members were told by staff that the state historic marker process is delayed because the state board has vacancies and is not approving markers until it has a quorum. The Keystone Heights heritage commission is planning a centennial Chautauqua and pop-up museum event March 8–9, 2025, at the Keystone Heights Beach Pavilion; organizers said they plan speakers, music and exhibits as part of the celebration.

Board members also discussed temporary county signs as an interim option while waiting for state markers. County staff described a lower-cost aluminum county sign option produced by the county sign shop (estimated at about $150) that could be placed next to a building or site; the board discussed constraints on placing signage in rights of way and the need to keep roadway signage short. The board and staff discussed estimated costs for an official two-sided state marker (discussed in the meeting as roughly $2,900) and compared this to a one-sided state marker price historically nearer $2,400.

Other updates: the Saint Mary’s marker was reported as turned over to staff (Beth) for submission to the state; the board also received progress reports on the Middleburg Museum and Civic Center marker text and on a Keystone Heights marker that includes city council approval documentation. Some marker projects remain on hold at the state level pending the state board’s ability to process applications.

Formal votes at this meeting included acceptance of the previous meeting minutes and the approval to advance the Middleburg Coloured School marker text; both motions were recorded as moved, seconded and carried on voice votes.