In May of 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling declared racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. In Hillsboro, the white children went to Washington or Webster elementary, while the black children attended the Lincoln School, a school badly in need of repair and improvements. However, voters had passed a levy to upgrade the two white schools, and this motion placed integration on the back burner indefinitely. Enter Philip Partridge, July 5th, 1954. At 2:00am, he lit the match that forced integration in this small, rural town.