Editing West Plains, Missouri (section)

===After the Depression===
In 1954, following ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'', city leaders voted unanimously to [[Desegregation|desegregate]] the school system. The Lincoln School, a [[one-room school]] for African-Americans closed down, and its students were transferred elsewhere. The building itself was given to the city. A local couple, Crockett and Tonya Oaks III, bought the building in 2023 and restored it, partnering with the [[Missouri Historical Society]] and [[Missouri History Museum]] and commissioning art from local artist Heather Legler and Nigerian muralist Dr. Bolaji Ogunwo.<ref name="Walser-Summer-2024">{{cite news |last1=Walser |first1=Lauren |title=Reviving a Missouri Schoolhouse With Ties to Black History |url=https://savingplaces.org/stories/reviving-a-missouri-schoolhouse-with-ties-to-black-history |work=Preservation Magazine |publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation |date=Summer 2024}}</ref>

On the evening of [[Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982|April 2, 1982]], a long-track [[Fujita Scale|F4]] tornado struck the West Plains area, beginning in Ozark County and ending near what was the airport at the time. Many homes and businesses were significantly damaged or leveled by the tornado, which killed three and injured at least 28 as it hit the West Plains Country Club and nearby homes, as well as businesses located on [[U.S. Route 63 in Missouri|U.S. Route 63]].<ref name="WPDQ 1982 Tornado">{{cite news| title = Tornado: 4/2/82 | work = West Plains Daily Quill | location = West Plains, Missouri | page = 1 | date = April 5, 1982 }}</ref><ref name="April Tornadoes">{{cite web|url=http://severeplains.com/2012/03/30/april-tornadoes-missouri-1950-2011/ |title=April Tornadoes in Missouri |access-date=2013-06-04}}</ref>

The downtown area of West Plains, namely Court Square, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on July 17, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20030725.htm |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings July 25, 2003 |access-date=2013-06-04}}</ref> The Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) Act also opened up funding for renovations and improvements for certain downtown buildings.