The historic one-room Espanola Schoolhouse located at 98 Knox Jones Avenue in Espanola, near the community center there, recently received a much needed facelift. The structure was built in 1950, and is a rare survivor of the Jim Crow racial segregation-era in Flagler County.
It served as a Black-only schoolhouse from 1950 through 1958, and accommodated thirty or more students per school year. It was part of the Flagler County school district. It did not have an indoor bathroom or running water. A wood-burning stove provided heat on cold days. After its schoolhouse days, the building served as an independent kindergarten, then a storage facility. Today, it serves the Espanola community as the St. Paul Youth Center.
Work was completed by tradesman Mike Patrick, and included stucco repairs, pressure washing, painting of the building and trim, replacement of the aluminum drip edge, soffit and fascia and a partial rebuild of the front porch roof. A new custom sign that reads: Historic Espanola Schoolhouse, St. Paul Youth Center, The Only Minority Schoolhouse Still Standing in Flagler County was also installed.
The facelift is a cosmetic improvement to the overall character of the building. The structural repairs have also increased the building’s stability and longevity. The work was funded by donations. Other near future improvements needed on the building include new windows and doors. Flagler Beach historian Randy Jaye is in the process of researching various grants to raise money to cover this work.
The Espanola Schoolhouse is the only one-room schoolhouse still standing in Flagler County. It is also the first landmark in Flagler County associated with Black history that has been nationally recognized, as it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 2020.
Jentlavia Golvin says
Hardly anyone now uses the building since director Mr Mark left. He had a full youth program with snacks, summer trips, tutiring, and computers. And he had a complete history in posters on the walls, ncljuding all the history and people from the old Career high school, and got the aka sorority to do a refurbish and painting. He brought in a lot of grants and donations for the kids. The News Journal did a write up on the program and Live. They got the place boarded up now so local teens can’t use it