The old Brooks Elementary School buildings in Fort Walton Beach will soon be demolished, but Beulah First Baptist Church is ensuring the legacy of this historic African American educational institution lives on. 

• The church is hosting a commemoration ceremony on Oct. 26 to honor the school’s importance before rebuilding with expanded educational and community resources on the site.

Pastor Felix Cole of Beulah First Baptist Church said the ceremony will celebrate Brooks School’s integral role in educating African American students in Fort Walton Beach for decades.

“Our history is precious,” Cole said. “You never forget your history because you build on your history. You learn from your history.”

The school’s origins trace back to 1938, when the first classes for African American students in Fort Walton Beach were held in a private home. By 1951, classes had moved to Beulah First Baptist Church, with elementary grades taught in the morning and high school in the afternoon.

• In 1952, John W. Brooks donated land next to the church for a dedicated school building to serve African American students. The two-room Brooks School was constructed by Okaloosa County Schools and named in honor of Brooks.

Charlie Hill served as the school’s first principal and teacher alongside Mary E. Burnette. At its peak, Brooks School educated 17 students across grades 1-12, according to Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent. The school had a clay basketball court, with Hill coaching the boys’ team and using his personal vehicle to transport players to games.

As Fort Walton Beach’s African American population grew, Brooks School transitioned to an elementary school after Carver-Hill High School opened in Crestview in 1955 to serve all of Okaloosa County’s African American high school students. Followed by W. E. Combs High School.

Beulah First Baptist Church purchased the Brooks School property about 12-13 years ago with initial plans to renovate the existing facilities into a K-12 Christian school. However, the buildings had fallen into disrepair over the years.

• “Because of the condition of the buildings, we are having to demolish them,” Cole explained. 

The decision to demolish the historic structures was not made lightly. Cole said church leadership had many sleepless nights grappling with how to preserve the school’s legacy while addressing safety concerns and prohibitive renovation costs.

Major issues included asbestos, lead paint, outdated plumbing, and the need for hurricane-resistant upgrades to meet modern building codes. Ultimately, the church determined demolition and rebuilding was more cost-effective than attempting to rehabilitate the aging structures.

• “We had to look at the best way possible for us as a church to maintain a legacy and build for the future,” Cole said.

While the physical buildings will soon be gone, Cole emphasized the church is committed to keeping Brooks School’s history and impact alive through their future plans for the property.

“We want to make sure that we commemorate the legacy of what that school meant to this community,” he said.

The Oct. 26 commemoration ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the church’s Genesis Room, which was formerly the main sanctuary. Former Brooks students from all eras are invited to gather at the school at noon for a group photo before the ceremony. The event is open to the public.

Speakers will include Brooks School alumni sharing memories and discussing the institution’s importance.

• Cole hopes the event will help people understand that while the buildings are coming down, “the history is not being torn down.”

To that end, the church is working to preserve pieces of the original structures to incorporate into the new facilities. They also plan to create displays showcasing the school’s history, including framed blueprints and a possible model of the original buildings.

Looking ahead, Beulah First Baptist Church has ambitious plans to continue Brooks School’s educational mission while expanding offerings to serve the broader Fort Walton Beach community.

The church envisions constructing a new K-8 Christian school on the Brooks campus, with the potential to expand to K-12 in the future. But their plans go far beyond just replacing the previous school buildings.

Cole outlined a vision for a comprehensive “Family Life Center” that would offer an array of services and resources, including:

• Financial literacy courses
• A reentry program for formerly incarcerated individuals
• Evening GED classes
• Partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities to offer satellite classes
• Seminary courses for local pastors and ministers
• A gymnasium and fitness classes
• Nutrition education

Additionally, the church hopes to construct a child development center to provide affordable, high-quality childcare and early education programs to serve local families, including military personnel stationed in the area.

“We’re trying to do it all,” Cole said. “And it’s not going to just be for Beulah. Just like those that started Brooks School, and those that donated us the land … we realize that when we come together as a community, it can be a magical thing.”

Cole emphasized that while preserving African American history is a key priority, the new facilities are intended to serve the entire Fort Walton Beach community regardless of race or background.

• “Community is not your color, it’s not your gender, it’s not your background,” he said. “It’s about how we as people get through this thing we call life.”

The timeline for rebuilding remains uncertain, as funding will be the primary factor determining how quickly the church can move forward with construction. Cole said his hope is to break ground within the next one to two years, but much depends on securing investments and donations to support the ambitious plans.

“You’re not investing in Beulah. You’re not investing in Brooks School. You’re investing in the community,” Cole said, encouraging potential donors and investors to see the project’s broader impact.

Whatever shape the new facilities ultimately take, Cole promised Brooks’ name and legacy will be featured prominently. Plans include naming wings or spaces after influential educators and community members associated with the original school.

For Beulah First Baptist Church, Fort Walton’s largest and oldest African-American church, maintaining control over the Brooks School property and shaping its future has deep significance.

• “We didn’t want to lose history,” Cole said, noting the church has turned down offers from developers interested in purchasing the valuable land. “Our goal is to better the community, provide better opportunities for the community, but still maintain history. We think that we are in a position where we can do both.”

The Brooks School site has already been approved for an official Florida Historical Marker, which will be installed in the coming months to ensure the property’s significance is not forgotten even after the original buildings are gone.

• Notable Brooks School alumni include U.S. Congressman Al Green of Texas and Gloria Jean Bell Tippins, co-founder and director of Okaloosa County’s Head Start program.

As the church prepares to bid farewell to the physical remnants of Brooks School, Cole reflected on the deep ties between the Brooks family and Beulah First Baptist Church that have spanned generations.

John W. Brooks II, the last grandchild of Fort Walton Beach founder John Thomas Brooks and his wife Harriet Catherine, maintained a close friendship with longtime Beulah Pastor, Rev. Scottie Thigpen. When Brooks passed away in 2011, Rev. Thigpen helped officiate his funeral with the church choir performing.

For Cole and the Beulah First Baptist congregation, these intertwined histories underscore the importance of preserving Brooks School’s legacy as they move forward with plans to serve future generations.

• “You couldn’t have Brooks School without the Brooks family,” Cole said.

While seeing the original structures go may bring some sadness, the church is focused on the opportunities that lie ahead to build upon Brooks School’s mission of expanding educational access and uplifting the community.

“You might see the building go down, but the legacy is going to continue to go on,” Cole said.