While Albany educated its students through private academies, other communities within the county turned to public education. Tablertown, a farming community now known as Kilvert, also had a school by the 1870s. The Athens Messenger mentions a two-story building, although it is possible the school was housed inside a local church. A tornado destroyed most buildings in Tablertown in 1937, including the church.[1]

 

When Tablertown was targeted by law enforcement who searched the school in 1876, the Athens Messenger mocked the community, saying “they have a schoolhouse even in Tablertown […]”[2] Despite the Messenger’s negative message, Tablertown had done what Logan had not. Despite being a rural community, Black children had a place to go to school. Either the white residents did not choose to segregate the school, or the Black residents had a large enough population to start their own.

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Notes

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1. “A Lively Maul of Thieves,” Athens Messenger, March 30, 1876; David Butcher interview, February 26, 2021.

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2. Athens Messenger, March 30, 1876.

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