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Thanks to the Bethlehem School, generation after generation of Black children in the small Upshur County community 9 miles north of Gilmer had something their ancestors never did: a formal education.

Shortly after the end of slavery in the 1800s, schools such as Bethlehem School 性视界传媒� also known as Bethlehem Colored School 性视界传媒� sprang up in communities across Texas to teach children of freed slaves how to read, write and do arithmetic, giving them a quality of life and a chance at success that their ancestors wanted them to have.

Bethlehem School性视界传媒檚 students haven性视界传媒檛 forgotten the lessons they learned there. On Saturday, dozens of former students gathered with some of the last living school employees to reflect on the school性视界传媒檚 legacy and dedicate an official Texas historical marker at the school site.

Despite the challenges students faced in the era of segregation, they didn性视界传媒檛 let adversity keep them down. The school性视界传媒檚 motto, tucked away in the back pages of an old yearbook, was: 性视界传媒淣ot at the Top but Climbing.性视界传媒� Bethlehem School helped lift them up in the post-slavery era.

性视界传媒淣o matter where you are, you can learn. No matter who your parents are, rich or poor, you can learn, but you first start off with God,性视界传媒� said Evelyn Jones, a Bethlehem student whose aunt, 98-year-old Rodell Miller, is one of the school性视界传媒檚 last living teachers.

性视界传媒楨ducated here for years性视界传媒�Bethlehem students, family members, former teachers and other Upshur County residents gathered Saturday morning on the green, lush grass of the old school yard at 8507 Toad Road for a ceremony to tell the school性视界传媒檚 story.

The gathering might have been a school reunion, but it felt more like a family reunion. Many people who went to Bethlehem School are related, and people in attendance laughed, talked, smiled and chatted like friends and family members do. Many wore gold and purple shirts, the school性视界传媒檚 colors, that were made for the occasion.

The school性视界传媒檚 colors represent 性视界传媒渓uxury, creativity and, most of all, wisdom,性视界传媒� said Doris Fort-Giles.

性视界传媒淲e chose these colors 性视界传媒� because we know that we were educated here for years, and God blessed us,性视界传媒� she said.

Bethlehem School got its start in a wooden church built between 1868 and 1870, and it served as the school性视界传媒檚 home for decades. In 1922, Bethlehem got its own Rosenwald School as part of a national philanthropic effort. Rosenwald Schools were built by the thousands across the South. They were funded by Julius Rosenwald, a wealthy Illinois philanthropist, who worked alongside trailblazing Black educator Booker T. Washington, who founded present-day Tuskegee University.

More than 200 Rosenwald Schools were built in East Texas, according to the Texas African American Museum. The wooden schools were built according to similar design plans and were painted white.

Bethlehem School wasn性视界传媒檛 a luxurious institution of learning. Students there had secondhand books passed along from white schools, often well worn and missing pages. In the years before the school had heaters, students brought wood to burn for heat during the wintertime.

性视界传媒榁alued in life forever性视界传媒�The school served students through the eighth grade, at which point they attended other schools to complete their educations. The school eventually was integrated with Union Hill ISD.

Sharon Richardson, a longtime East Texas educator, attended the school from 1961 to 1968. It性视界传媒檚 where she got her foundation in education, she said. Richardson later served as a teacher, principal and superintendent at Union Hill ISD, and the elementary school is named after her.

性视界传媒淚 would want people to remember Bethlehem School as a school that gave us an education that would be valued in life forever, and it didn性视界传媒檛 matter about the lack of materials, equipment or personnel,性视界传媒� Richardson said. 性视界传媒淚t didn性视界传媒檛 get in the way of the success. We had many students to succeed in ... education and just life, and it helped us to meet the needs to survive in this complex society.性视界传媒�

She attributes her success to her teachers at Bethlehem 性视界传媒� especially Miller, the 98-year-old educator who still lives in the Bethlehem community. Miller性视界传媒檚 name is on the historical marker.

Miller said she was at home teaching at Bethlehem.

性视界传媒淚t was a fun time,性视界传媒� she said. 性视界传媒淚 loved it 性视界传媒� every minute of it.性视界传媒�

Part of what made Bethlehem an effective school was its discipline, said Miller性视界传媒檚 niece, Jones.

性视界传媒淚f the children would act up, well, she性视界传媒檇 tell their parents,性视界传媒� Jones said. 性视界传媒淲e didn性视界传媒檛 have cell phones, but they knew about it before we got home from school.性视界传媒�

That discipline was given in love, something Bethlehem had a lot of.

性视界传媒淭o this day, we性视界传媒檙e all still family,性视界传媒� Jones said.

性视界传媒楢n inspiration to all the kids性视界传媒�Debra Brinkley, one of the last students to attend the school prior to integration, led the years-long research effort to compile the school性视界传媒檚 history and obtain the state historical marker. She recognized several faculty and staff, including Miller.

性视界传媒淪he性视界传媒檚 been an inspiration to all the kids that went to school here. And Miss Miller, a lot of them went on to do good behind you,性视界传媒� Brinkley said. Some in the audience said 性视界传媒淎men.性视界传媒�

Brinkley also recognized 86-year-old Raymond 性视界传媒淩.C.性视界传媒� Johnson, a substitute teacher at the school starting in 1962. He was 23.

性视界传媒淭here was some boys in that class as old as I was,性视界传媒� he said.

Yes, there were boys in the eighth grade who were about 23.

性视界传媒淏ack then, their families worked,性视界传媒� Johnson said. 性视界传媒淪o, instead of going to school when school started, they went to the field or wherever they were working.性视界传媒� The boys went to school when they could, so completing a grade took longer.

Johnson said he enjoyed teaching there because he grew up in the community.

Willie Mae Fort, one of the school性视界传媒檚 cooks, ensured students were well fed. She worked at the school for a few years prior to integration and then went to Union Hill ISD. Some of her favorite dishes to make for students were Salisbury steak, creamed corn and other down-home fixings. Each meal always had some kind of sweet dessert, too.

性视界传媒淚 loved it,性视界传媒� she said.

After the marker was unveiled, students and faculty posed for a photo and ate lunch in the Bethlehem Community Center, which was a wing of the school. Brinkley性视界传媒檚 mother purchased the old schoolhouse decades ago and used the lumber to build her home. Now, a shiny historical marker on Toad Road tells inquisitive passersby the story of Bethlehem School.