HUNTSVILLE – The finishing touches on the master plan at William Hooper Councill Park will be added today with the dedication and unveiling of four bronze statues on the grounds of where the school bearing the name of the educator who founded what became Alabama A&M once thrived.
The statues will complete the park, which opened in December 2020 as a tribute and memorial for Huntsville’s first school for Black students and those who attended. The school on St. Clair Avenue closed with the integration of the city’s schools in 1966 and the building was eventually razed.
The school was started in the basement of a church in 1867 and eventually moved to St. Clair Street.
The statues were commissioned by the City of Huntsville and represent the hundreds of students who attended the school from its beginning until its closure.
Presentations will include William Hooper Councill School Alumni Association representatives, Mayor Tommy Battle, City Councilmembers Devyn Keith and John Meredith, Alabama A&M University President Dr. Daniel Wims, Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Clarence Sutton, Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jennifer Moore, and special guests
The ceremony is from 11:30 a.m.-noon at the park at 620 St. Clair Avenue. A statue of Dr. Councill was dedicated at the site when the park opened.
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