Gaines High School

Gaines High School was a high school for African American students, and later served as a normal school for teacher training in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1866, and closed around 1887.

History

The Gaines High School was preceded by the privately funded Gilmore High School.
The Gaines High School opened in 1866, and was named for school board member John Isom Gaines, who was an advocate of schools for African Americans in Ohio. It was one of Ohio's first public high schools for African Americans.
Peter Humphries Clark, and then William H. Parham served as its principals. Clark introduced baseball as part of the school's program. Clark became a Socialist and joined the Democratic Party, costing him support in the African American community and his job.
The year of the school's closure is uncertain; sources say 1887 or 1890. A historical marker commemorates the school.
Notable alumni of the school included John Welden Jewett.

John Isom Gaines

John Isom Gaines was an abolitionist and an advocate for African American rights and education in Ohio. He helped get a law passed in Ohio for the establishment of schools for African Americans. Gaines High School in Cincinnati was named for him. He abstained for drinking alcoholic beverages and was an advocate for temperance. He gave speeches.