Paris, Tennessee

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Henry County, TN, court house, Nov. 24, 2005

Paris, TN (USA) is a small town in West Tennessee which was incorporated in 1823. As of 2010 (and for several decades past), its population hovers around 10,000 people. It is the county seat for Henry County and its town center, like many towns in the region, is built around an imposing court house which is now more than a hundred years old. Paris, TN is located in the upper right corner of West Tennessee, bordering with Kentucky to the north and the Tennessee River to the east. It is about two hours by car from any large city (Memphis to the SW, Nashville to the SW, or Paducah, KY to the north). Even the nearest medium size city (Jackson, TN) is a good hour's drive distant. Nearby small towns are Camden, TN (50 minutes by car to the SE) and Murray, KY (50 minutes to the north).

Integration of the schools: 1960's

Although Paris, TN was the only incorporated town in the county, several smaller communities nearby, up until 1970, had their own schools, including Henry (W), Cottage Grove (N), and Springville (E). Paris itself had multiple elementary, junior high, and high schools. The population of the area in the 1960's was about 15% African American, and schools in Paris were segregated. Around 1963, facing the mandate to end racial school segregation, the Henry County school system began a gradual introduction of African American students into formerly all-white elementary schools in Paris, paralleling similar actions taken all over the South. Henry County Schools also began building a consolidated high school in the town which would become only high school in the county and, being located in the county center, would serve all students, regardless of race. This school, Henry County High School, opened in 1970 with an innovative, round-building design. Smaller high schools in outlying communities had to close and bus their students to the consolidated school. The outlying elementary schools closed in favor of larger elementary and junior high schools in Paris. Thus, the Henry county school became racially integrated, with less overt conflict than some surrounding areas in the region.

Similar to towns all over the South, on the outskirts of Paris, TN was an elementary school, closed by the consolidation, that was named for Robert E. Lee. In the early 2000's, a non-profit was formed, called the Robert E. Lee School Association (RELSA) to convert the vacant Lee School building into "Lee Academy for the Arts". At the start of the 2020-21 school year, as race relations are again under scrutiny, the county school system has renamed the historic Robert E. Lee School to the Paris Academy for the Arts.

Robert E. Lee elementary school in Paris, TN, circa 1900. Renamed in 2020 to Paris Academy for the Arts"