o ...a gloriously positive story which disproves past, present, and future notions that AmericaOs black population cannot effectively embrace love, family commitment, religious fervor, industriousness, career advancement, and academic achievement.O NJulius K. Hunter, KMOV-TV Channel 4 News, St. Louis North Webster is a black middle-class suburb west of St. Louis which began at the end of the Civil War. Its residents have suffered the discrimination of a southern, border state, and yet they accomplished great things. The North Webster community emphasized education as the path to achievement from the beginning. Its elementary school and, from 1925, high school were the finest schools for blacks in Missouri. With its outstanding school, seven churches, and many black-owned businesses, North Webster taught its children to aspire and excel. This book is a history together with 141 black-and-white period photographs of that community and the people who gave it its character.