A southern Kentucky county is seeking state recognition for the site of a school that educated Black students during segregation.
Generations of Black students walked the halls of Todd County Training School before its closure in 1963. Lines of school buses now sit in storage at the former site.
Now, community leaders in the town of Elkton are seeking a state historical marker for the site, hoping to preserve the segregated all-black school’s legacy and educate the public about its role in local Black history.
Greg Russell, a Todd County resident, comes from a family deeply connected to Todd Training School. His parents and uncles attended the school, and his father was part of Todd Central’s first class following integration.
Growing up, Russell heard his relatives repeatedly share stories and memories of Todd Training. He said those memories were meaningful not because the school had abundant resources, new books or modern facilities, but because it cultivated something more lasting: a supportive community.
“The fact that they had principals that looked like them, you don’t think about that but that's a big deal,” Russell said. “They had teachers that looked like them, bus drivers that looked like them.”
Russell said the school became a central hub for education, athletics, and community. He said it served as a hub built by individuals who encouraged one another and fostered confidence and pride.
The stories he’s heard from alumni represent the pride and injustice faced throughout the local history of Black education and athletics, Russell said. He recalled a story told to him by his uncle, an alum.
After integration, Russell’s uncle was named the most valuable player on his team at Todd Central. At the awards banquet, however, Black players were not allowed to enter through the front of the hall or sit with the other attendees.
Instead, his uncle had to come in through the back to receive the MVP trophy he had earned.
“To this day, that's something that he shares and still gets a little emotional about that,” Russell said. “Those are the things that, as they say, were the reality of the situation of that time, that we dealt with, or that they dealt with.”
Russell now serves as a Todd County school board member and the face of efforts to get the historical marker for the site.. Russell said so far, he and others have received support from the surrounding community.
He said that in our current environment with attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and pushback against recognition of black history, it’s vital now more than ever to recognize the foundational pieces that helped make things better for Black Kentuckians.
“Even Black History Month is being threatened to be taken out of schools, and in some schools that’s actually happened,” Russell said. “We have to really appreciate the past in order to build the future.”
Russell said that due to a fire, many school records have been completely lost. He said that if it weren’t for the stories passed down, few people would know what Todd Training was. He worries that without state recognition, as alumni and connected generations move on, the significance of Todd Training will be lost.
Russell and a group of other community members have applied to the Kentucky Historical Society for a marker at the former school site. If approved, Russell said they will then submit a formal proposal to place the marker in the bus lot that once held Todd Training.
