her ancestors who settled in Buxton
has come from her study of historical
documents.
Prince’s ancestors and many other
blacks made their living as farmers after
arriving in Buxton. King divided Buxton’s
9,000 acres of land into 50-acre plots and
sold it to black families for $2.50 an acre.
They were given ten years to pay back the
loan.
After clearing the land, families grew
crops such as corn, tobacco, and hemp.
“Reverend King firmly believed if blacks were
given the same opportunities as whites that
they could become self-sufficient,” says
Prince.
Because King recognized the
importance of education, he insisted all
children attend school. Buxton’s children
were not welcome at local schools, so
King built Buxton’s first school in 1850. The
quality of education at King’s school was so
good that many white families enrolled their
children there.
At night, King taught adults how to
read and write at the school. “It was the
education that really dispelled the myths
and brought down a lot of the racial
barriers,” says Prince.
A second school was opened after
Buxton’s population grew to 800 in 1856.
By that time, the settlement was home to a
church, general store, hotel, sawmill, brick-
making factory, and several other businesses.
Buxton’s third and final school was
built in 1861 and continued to operate until- Prince as well as her parents and
grandparents attended that school. Her
great-great grandfather helped build it.
The town of Buxton remained
completely black for ten years, and its
One of Buxton’s early businesses is
shown in this photo.Buxton’s population peaked at 2,000, but
today just 100 people live in the town.