In 1905 James Furlong, an Irish farmer who owned a great deal of land in Los Angeles, subdivided his land within the boundaries of Long Beach Avenue and Alameda, 50th and 55th streets. He sold his lots to black families for $750. The Furlong Tract was a working-class area, settled by working class African-Americans like the Rozier, Guillebeau, Postell and Hicks families who were barred from other areas by restrictive racial covenants. Most had relocated from the South. The Furlong Tract was a tight knit area with convenient transportation; where many families could be found working at nearby plants as the Cottonseed Oil Mill, the Hercules Foundry and Pioneer Paper Co. They were hard working, proud people with a great sense of community engagement. They had beautifully adorned homes where most boasted vegetable gardens in their backyards. It quickly became a highly desired area; attracting the well-to-do and elite, as the residents were dignified and classy.
51st Street School was built in 1910 and became the first all-black school built in Los Angeles. Due to discriminatory hiring, the school employed only white teachers until it hired Bessie Bruington Burke a year after opening. Sadly the school burned down in 1922 but was later rebuilt and renamed Holmes Avenue School. |