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History of James E. Guinn Elementary School

The elementary school was built in 1927.

James E. Guinn, a Fort Worth native, was the oldest son of eight children. His father, a former slave, moved to Texas in 1863 after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Although neither parent could read nor write, they had a desire to see their son achieve great success, and were involved in the founding of the Southside Colored School. Mr. Guinn attended Fort Worth Primary Schools and graduated from Prairieview Normal College with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

He returned to Fort Worth to give back to his community and became the first black Fort Worth native to serve as a principal in the Fort Worth Public School System. Mr. Guinn became principal of the Southside Colored School in 1900.

The school had two rooms with a capacity for 100 children in grades K-4. On January 3, 1907, the City Council agreed to build a permanent building for the Southside Colored School. Sadly, Mr. Guinn died on July 11, 1917, before construction could be completed. Later that year, the school was renamed the James E. Guinn School.