Rev. John Wesley Neill
In 1902, Rev. Neill was appointed principal of the school located at Ninth Avenue and Justice Street. He served in that capacity until 1909.
Rev. John Wesley Neill was born on July 25, 1859, in Statesville, North Carolina. He attended Richmond Theological Seminary and graduated from Howard Theological Department, Howard University, in 1897. Upon graduation, he moved to Asheville, NC where he met and married Lula Love Liggins. They had five children: Julia Whitney, Margaret Lucille, Susie, William John and Harriett.
Following the "separate but equal" movement, local school districts were mandated to have a classroom and teacher for each grade. Faced with the dilemma of preparing black teachers under segregation, the local Board of Education in 1901 tapped Rev. Neill to conduct one of its first workshops for teachers to earn certification. In 1902, Rev. Neill was appointed principal of the school located at Ninth Avenue and Justice Street. He served in that capacity until 1909, at which time Professor W.M. Robinson was appointed. Rev. Neill died in Hendersonville around 1923.
(Excerpts from A Brief History of The Black Presence in Henderson County by The Black History Research Committee of Henderson County with Gary Franklin Greene and from John R. Marable, former principal of Ninth Avenue School.)
