Coming Out of the Dark Into Light

The Williamson County Historical Society (Tennessee) is proud to present "Coming Out of the Darkness," a history of the Black communities of Triune, Kirkland, and College Grove, told by individuals who grew up there. Members of the Society encouraged Elaine Bolyejack Bell and Marie Ridley Ogilvie to canvass the eastern section of Williamson County, asking for personal experiences of those who attended Kirkland School, to collect family histories, and to donate photographs of families and individuals. This "grassroots" effort resulted in a 300-page documentary of life in these communities, including photos of Black schools before the 1954 consolidation with the new Kirkland School (1-8), and histories of the Black churches in these three communities. A vital contribution to the educational history of Williamson County is the revelation of personal accounts from a Black perspective on the 1967 school integration. The Society encourages other Black communities in the county to follow suit.