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A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 156/340

A Period of Growth and Development

At lower levels the county in the 1880’s boasted of thirty
schools for white children with around 950 students, and twenty-
one schools for black children with around 750 students. The show
piece of the school system was the Peabody High School on West
St. Johns Street which was referred to as the “Premium Public
School of Florida.” This school for whites received a supplement
from the Peabody Fund which, added to what the county school
board provided, enabled it to operate on a ten month school year. In
1893 a school site on West Duval Street was purchased by the
county school board and the name was changed from Peabody to
the Columbia Graded and High School.
The other public schools for whites and blacks operated on a
four month school year prior to 1883 and a five month session after
1883. Lake City also had private schools such as Finley High
School for blacks, which offered a liberal arts education, and the
St. James Academy for white girls. The Finley school dates to 1870
when it was established by the Freedmans Bureau. The St. James
Academy, or St. James Female College, was administered by the
Reverend Charles S. Snowdon who was also rector of the St. James
Episcopal Church of Lake City. The St. James Academy func­
tioned as a boarding school for girls. Fees for room and board were
$32.50 per quarter while instruction in English cost $5.00, Latin
$7.50, and piano $10.00. In 1886 the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
moved the school to Macclenny in Baker County. The Reverend
Snowden died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1888. Another
private school for women, the Lake City Institute, opened in 1888.
J. B. Edge, J. H. Porter, K. D. Edge, John Vinzant, J. M. Futch, T.
S. Chalker, W. R. Chalker, J. O. Harris, M. F. Brown and the First
Baptist Church of Lake City were involved in the school’s estab­
lishment. The Reverend P. D. Drew, former pastor of the First
Baptist Church, was the first principal. In 1892 the name was
changed to Lake-Side College. The school was discontinued in 1893
when the Florida Agricultural College started admitting women.

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