Our Beaufort Clubs held a tribute to the history of Queen St. High School and the history of Beaufort. The article below was published in the Carteret News-Times by Maceo Donald, a former Club member.

“The Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plains (BGCCP) in collaboration with the Eastern Carteret Collaborative (ECC) hosted an open-house event for Black History Month that featured artwork, historical readings and fellowship.

The daylong open-house celebration on Friday was held at the BGCCP Teen Center in Beaufort, which is the last remaining structure that was a part of the original Queen Street High School, which was formerly the only school for Black students in the county.

This aligned with the theme of the event, which was “what it was, what it is, and what it could be.”

“We’re coming up on about 25-plus years that the club has been here, and it’s been home for us for all these years,” said BGCCP Regional Vice President Andrea Nix. “There’s a lot of folks in the community that walk through these doors and have memories. The community is changing, developing, getting older, and we wanted to do our part to bring that history.”

Dozens of photos and pieces of art were gathered by the community and framed for the Black History Celebration.

Most of the images from the Queen Street era were provided by former students, ECC members, and locals whose parents were Queen Street students.

The photography exhibit at the event was by Rosemary Kramer, graduate of CCC’s photography program. Mrs. Kramer took the photographs between 1996 – 2001, focusing on people who worked in the fish houses, at worship and in their Queen Street neighborhood.

Prior to the event, children from the Teen Center created additional works of art honoring Black history.

“Within our culture it’s the conversation between our elders, the aunties and the grandpas that keep the story going,” said Nix. “So, as a Boys & Girls Club organization, if we can keep the story and history going because we’re sharing it with the young people that walk through, who may not even have a connection to the community, but their connection is that this is our Boys & Girls Club.”

Throughout the day, there was an interactive timeline wall, a photography exhibit, historical readings and a chance for past students to share their memories of the school.

Sedricka Courman, director of the Beaufort Teen Center, was one of them. She recounted memories of her middle school days spent at Queen Street and even having to cross the street to get to other classes.

The youth flocked to the facility as soon as school let out for the day, where they provided games, crafts and a Black history educational period as well.

“I would love to see us do something like this again,” said Nix. “I think the word is going to get out and more people may bring more stuff. But I think it’s a good start. If we are trying to tell the history and the story, why not do it every year or find every opportunity to do that.””