St. Johns County Public Schools

Peabody School
Peabody School Aviles St. (old Hospital St)
While there are many beginning dates in our historic town of St. Augustine and St. Johns County, the beginning date for the St. Johns County School Board was April 30, 1869. The first chairman of the school board was N. D. Benedict and the first Superintendent was O. Bronson.

Schooling for both white and African-American students had existed before this date and can be documented well back into the Spanish periods. However, for the purposes of this page we will use 1862 as the beginning of African-American education in St. Johns County and 1832 as the beginning of white education.

Peabody SchoolClass circa 1909
1ST Row: Harrington Wilson, Unknown, Lawrence Mickler
Troy Haigler, Kevin Wilson, Freddy Shuggart
Arnold Melcher, Will Hutson, Fred Kirtland
Ray Dodd, George Ritchie
2ND Row: Alline Hellier, Carrie Backer , Helen Bennett
Jenny Dodd, Elrina Gibson, Cloria McGinnis
Mary Pinkham Pacetti, Helen deMedeus, Marjorie Walton
Katie Mae Branett, Carl Mabeley, Earl Blue
3RD Row: Lucilli Center, Josephine Whetstone, H Mullettir
S Pomar, Unknown, Sheriden Owen
Harry Genovar, Gordson Pellier, Emmett McWilliams
Unknown, Gabriel Lee, Unknown
TOP ROW: Sprague Finley, Reid Guyon, Unknwn
Mary Fuller, Maud Davis, Naomi Barnes
Unknown, Unknown, John Stokes
Enjoy the links as you learn about the struggle for quality education for all the children of St. Johns County public schools and the great dedication of the teachers and staff of the school system.

School Links

  • 1845 Federal School Petition

  • American Freedman's Union Commission

  • American Freedman's Union - Dr. Bronson Link

  • Peabody School Fund 1868 Funding For 1ST School

  • Letter from O. Bronson, First Superintendant

  • 1881 Teachers and School List

  • 1882 Teachers and School List

  • 1904-1905 St. Johns students who were neither absent or tardy

  • 1905-1908 Non-Resident Students