Unlocking the Past: The Newspaper Archive for the Negro Boys Industrial School Fire
The story of the Negro Boys Industrial School Fire has lived for decades in whispers, fragments, and memories that never found a home. Today we are opening a new window into that history. The full newspaper archive is now available, and it is one of the most revealing collections we have shared so far.
These pages capture the shock of the fire, the voices of families who waited for answers, the early reporting that shaped public understanding, and the details that were forgotten as the years rolled on. They show what was said and what was missing. They show how communities responded and how quickly the narrative around the boys shifted.
If you have been following the Locked Doors, Lost Boys series, this archive will deepen everything you thought you knew. If you are joining us for the first time, this is the perfect entry point into a story that deserves to be remembered with honesty and care
Explore the archive. Sit with the headlines. Read the small details. Then ask the same question we keep asking. How did this happen, and why were the boys left inside a building that never should have trapped them?
Read the collection here and help bring their story back into the light.