Pencil Stub from Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.

For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.

Pencil Stub from Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

This small pencil stub was recovered during the Kansas Archeology Training Program field school in 2022 at Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in Topeka. It's not hard to imagine a studious scholar, bent over their work, gripping this small stub. An earlier school, Monroe School, was on the property from 1874 to 1927. The current Monroe Elementary School (built in 1926 and closed in 1975) serves as the interpretive center for the park. Both were segregated African American schools until 1954 when the Supreme Court ended legal segregation in the United States.

Date: 1890-1975