In the first days of school in 1956 at Sturgis, 10 black students who were turned back by a jeering mob appealed to Gov. A.B. “Happy” Chandler who called upon the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police to keep the order outside the school. The Guard held back the crowd the next morning as nine black students entered the school. At the same time, a similar confrontation at a Clay, Ky. grade school occurred when two black students enrolled. The Kentucky National Guard was called to maintain the order outside the school.

Sturgis and Clay: Showdown for Desegregation in Kentucky Education​