Lincoln Heights encouraged many “to reach the heights of Lincoln.” Some students had to ride for hours in order to get an education. One of those students was Brenda Dobbins, who had a two-hour daily commute. But this didn’t matter to her. Dobbins loved going to school and her teachers inspired her to become a teacher herself. After Lincoln Heights closed in 1966, she and many African-Americans lost the community that had been built within the walls of the school.

The building was later used as a daycare, a vocational school and a charter school. But in 1986 the Wilkes County Board of Education sold the building for $1 to African-American community.  

Last year the original building as added to National Register of Historic Places and Dobbins hopes to bring the building to its original shape, preserving the history and passing it onto the next generation.

By Zayrha Rodriguez