Earle Bracey, Mary Reed, Mary Carter - Education

Depicted in this photograph, taken sometime in the mid-1970s most likely, are from left to right, Earle L. Bracey (1904-1983), Mary Reed, and Mary Carter. All three were former teachers at Carver High School, where Earle Bracey also served as Principal. Prior to his retirement from education, the 1965 Sabre, yearbook of Fort Hill High School, depicts Mr. Bracey, a University of Michigan graduate, on staff administering attendance and supervising Visual Education. (additional information on Earl L. Bracey appears elsewhere on this website). Few former Carver teachers remain. The most recent to have passed on is Mary George Carter.

Mary Carter was born in 1912 in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was educated in the public schools there and attended Virginia State College where she graduated in 1936. She pursued advanced studies at Cornell University and taught at several institutions of higher learning before coming to Cumberland where she taught for some years at Carver. She eventually retired as a teacher in the Baltimore City Public School systems. Mary George Carter passed away on October 9, 2007.

It was in the year 1918 that "Cumberland High School" was opened. This was a high school for blacks located on Mechanic Street and was organized as a two-year curriculum, with a four-year course of study initiated the following year. Increasing enrollments resulted in the opening of a new school on Frederick Street in 1922. There was some controversy within the community that such a nice facility would be provided for black students. For this reason, publicity surrounding the new, "Frederick Street School" as it became known, was downplayed for some time. The school name "Carver" came into existence in 1941 due to the desire of Principal Earle Bracey that the school take the name of an important black person. George Washington Carver won out over Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington in an election among the students.

Carver served students from Frostburg and numerous West Virginia communities, many of whom were often boarded with local families. As Allegany County schools became integrated in the 1950's Carver school was closed in 1959. However, in 1961, as a location was being sought for the brand new Allegany Community College, the old "Carver School" was renovated and served as the college's location for the first eight years before the new campus was constructed on Willowbrook Road. The former school mow serves as the Carver Community Center.