James Lee Dickey: An Analysis of One African-American's Leadership in Jim Crow Texas

Industrial Arts Teacher in Marlin, Texas

Marlin, Texas was established in 1834 and is located in Falls County 24 miles southeast of Waco. Having been settled by slaveholders from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, Marlin was 40% black at the end of the Civil War. During Reconstruction, black population decreased while the white population increased. Two community black schools were organized in 1875; they were dependent on state funds and met in the Baptist and African Methodist church buildings. In 1916 the city council voted to build a school for blacks. Later, the school was moved to Commerce Street and was named Booker T. Washington. Teachers and students were integrated in the Marlin Independent Schools by 1970–71.