Built in 1925 to replace the dilapidated log school, this one room African-American schoolhouse stands in Minerva. It is a pristine example of a teacher’s love for their students.
The school housed eight grades and half of the funds to build the school were raised by door-to-door campaigns, dinners, plays and benefits.
Ida M. Ross was the teacher and driving force for the project and the school was later named after her. Mrs. Ross even designed the school and her husband, Bill Ross, built it.
Major donor to the project was Mr. and Mrs. Worthington of Minerva. The neighboring chapel to the school was named The Worthington Chapel.
Stanley Reed, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was born in Minerva and donated the land for the school and chapel.
Once completed, the school educated 12 children that all walked to school. Later Mrs. Ross raised enough funds for a bus that her husband drove. Eventually, the school’s attendance soared to 55 children.
After integration in the late 1950’s the school became a learning and youth center in 1958.
Mrs. Ross taught at Minerva for 42 years and more than 200 students graduated from the one room schoolhouse.
School Information
Ida M. Ross was born on April 30, 1890. She graduated Salutatorian of her class in Covington in 1908 and moved to Minerva and married W. M. (Bill) Ross on Aug. 12, 1908
Bill Ross was a teacher in Minerva and fell ill, so Mrs. Ross took the state teacher’s exam and finished out his semester in Minerva in 1912. She received her A.B. degree from Kentucky State College and did her masters work at University of Cincinnati and Columbia University before completing and receiving her Masters from Morehead State College, one one of two of the first African-American women to attend Morehead.
Later she served as President of the Minerva Colored Homemakers and Matron of the Eastern Star. She was secretary of the Sub District of Women’s Society of Christian Services, president of the Alumni group of Kentucky State College and a member of the National Council of Negro Women. She also served on the National Committee of Human Race Relations.
Mrs. Ross was invited to the White House three times by three different presidents, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman and Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Mrs. Ross died March 1974 at the age of 84. In 2001, the section of Kentucky 435 from Kentucky 9 AA Highway to Kentucky 1235 was named the “Ida M. Ross Road.”
Lacey Holleran is Maysville-Mason County CVB tourism director. For more on Maysville and Mason County follow the CVB on Facebook and Instagram page @VisitMaysvilleKY.
