The First and Last Bell: A Story of Six Missions for Blacks in Wilcox County, Alabama

After the Civil War, mission schools and churces were established to provide education and Bible training to African-American children. “The First and Last Bell” is the story of six of these schools, which were started, staffed, and run via the auspices of the Presbyterian Church in rural Alabama from the 1880s to the 1970s. In this well-researched and documented tome of the academic and religious education of African-Americans, author Jeannette Steele McCall follows Wilcox County’s mission schools and churches from the school’s inception to the last school’s closing. This book represents a compelling page from the history of education in America and will inspire young people to perseverance, knowledge, and dedication.