WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE | MORMON HISTORY | LIBERTY LANDING
CIVIL WAR | AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY | CORBIN THEATER

In December of 2003, the Clay County African American Legacy Consortium purchased Garrison School from the Liberty School District and assumed ownership of the historic educational institution. It serves as office space for the Clay County African American Legacy Inc. and as a Recreational Center for cultural and educational events. Garrison School is listed on both the National and Local Register of Historic Places in Clay County.

The Clay County African American Legacy Inc. is committed to educating and informing the community of the accomplishments of African Americans of Clay County and how they have influenced and contributed to the rich history of the Northland.

Prior to 1865 it was against the law to teach a slave to read or write. When the Civil War ended, African Americans in Liberty first attended a private school located on West Mill for black and Indian children in the home of Mrs. Laura Armstrong, a liberal white and later in a series of other homes in Liberty. African American residents established Garrison School in 1877. The first Garrison School building stood until 1910. The current building was built in 1911.

Garrison School, however, only provided its students with a 10th grade education, and the "separate but equal" laws barred them from attending Liberty's white high school. Therefore, many Garrison graduates had to ride buses into Kansas City to attend the all black Lincoln High School. Finally, on May 17, 1954, as a result of arguments in the Supreme Court case Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education, the court ruled "separate but equal education" unconstitutional, and the Liberty School District began to integrate its African American students.

Additional information about Garrison Center and the Clay County African American Consortium can be obtained from any of the CCAAC officers: A.J. Byrd, President; Krisha Tormes, Vice President; Ken Robinson, Treasurer; Rev. Susan McCann, Secretary; Dr. Cecelia A. Robinson, Historian; Theresa Byrd, Grant Writer or Sam Houston.