Rosenwald Schools

A Reflection on Heritage and the Hamilton Colored School

Posted on: January 4th, 2012 by Guest Writer 6 Comments

Written by Carol Jones Shields

As a child growing up between Virginia and North Carolina, I was often told of my Native American ancestry from my mother’s side of the family. Interestingly enough, I recently found out that I may also have similar roots on my father’s side. For the most part, the concrete evidence of my cultural heritage came from my mother’s account, my good fortune to inherit a skin-type which was very tolerate of the sun, and my almond shaped brown eyes - a trait I shared with many of my maternal cousins. Beyond these simple markers, the link to my past has been a bit of a mystery. I recognize that for some of us the limited cultural resources of our heritage present a challenge in our quest to discover our true essence and origin. From this very personal viewpoint, I have evolved into an inspired preservationist who believes our various cultural perspectives and places should all be valued pieces of our collective American story.

The Hamilton Colored School as it appeared in 2006. (Photo: The Enterprise)

Over the past few years I have been working with Roanoke River Partners, a regionally-based grassroots organization, to preserve the story and artifacts of the Hamilton Colored School in Hamilton, North Carolina. This historic school, located just off the bank of the Roanoke River, is one of the nationally celebrated Rosenwald Schools – the thousands of schools built mostly for African Americans with supplemental funding provided by Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, in partnership with Booker T. Washington. I am interested in this mostly African American and Jewish heritage story as someone whose own cultural and family history has always been a bit ambiguous.

The Hamilton Colored School as it appears today, currently under construction for use as the Rosenwald River Center. (Photo: Carl Galie)

Since 2007, Roanoke River Partners has acquired grant funding to purchase this historic property, obtain architectural guidance, complete external repairs and renovation (thanks to a Lowe’s Foundation grant) for new use as the Rosenwald River Center, and to engage the community in the recovery of surviving artifacts and the oral and written history associated with this site. In addition to advocacy and grant writing, I have been the researcher and historian for this project, and have compiled a summary of our findings in a book entitled, Hamilton Rosenwald School Preservation Story: Preserving the memories, the faces and the place. My involvement in this preservation effort has provided me with a welcome opportunity to work closely with an under-served community of color to preserve their built legacy.

I feel most fortunate to have had the chance to further explore my own diversity, as well as that of others, as one of the 49 Diversity Scholars at the 2011 National Preservation Conference in Buffalo. As a result of my participation, I returned home with a full heart, re-energized and committed to the preservation of a diverse palette of regional culture and heritage. I eagerly anticipate future communications and collaborations with the National Trust and I am deeply grateful to those whose contributions helped to make this one my most culturally enriching experiences.

Carol Jones Shields is currently the researcher/historian of the Hamilton Rosenwald School and an executive board member with Roanoke River Partners. Carol was a first time Diversity Scholar at the 2011 National Preservation Conference and she will present her Rosenwald research at the 2012 National Rosenwald Schools Conference in Tuskegee, Alabama, from June 14-16. She can be reached at cjshields@touchnc.net.

Although we're always on the lookout for blog content, we encourage readers to submit story ideas or let us know if you've seen something that might be interesting and engaging for a national audience. Email us at editorial@nthp.org.

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In Parallel with Rosenwald: Delaware’s DuPont Colored Schools

Posted on: August 30th, 2011 by National Trust for Historic Preservation

Written by Libbie Hawes

The Buttonwood Colored School in New Castle County, Delaware was built in 1924 and expanded to a two-room facility in 1934. It was recently rehabilitated to serve as a community center. (Photo: Walter Gallas)

The National Trust’s Rosenwald Schools Initiative has had a great impact on the preservation of African American schools in the South. In Delaware, the duPont schools offer another example of a prominent philanthropist’s effort to provide educational facilities to African American students.

As reform swept the nation’s social institutions in the early 1900s, philanthropists were inspired to leverage their private wealth into public service. While Julius Rosenwald famously established a network of African American schools in the south, a reluctant Delaware Board of Education found a champion in entrepreneur Pierre S. duPont. Leaving behind his positions as chair of the General Motors Corporation and president of E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, duPont focused his attention and resources on the improvement of school facilities in the state of Delaware. There is no concrete evidence Rosenwald and duPont exchanged ideas, but compared in retrospect, their endeavors were remarkably parallel.

In the late 18th century, few educational opportunities existed for either African American or European American citizens in Delaware. Limited initiatives by religious organizations set up a small number of schools. In 1829, the Act of Free Schools provided public education, but even after the Civil War, taxes levied on both white and black citizens supported schools for white students only.

The Delaware Association for the Moral Improvement and Education of Colored People was created in 1867, but African American settlements primarily relied on self-help and charity to establish educational facilities. Land and materials were acquired with contributions from local churches. The modest one to two story wood frame structures with single classrooms were built with community-based labor.

The Booker T. Washington School in New Castle County, Delaware is a two-room school built in 1923 for grades one through eight. It was rehabilitated in 2005 with additions for use as the New Castle Senior Center. (Photo: Walter Gallas)

A series of state legislative efforts segregated social and economic systems at the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, public education for African Americans was formally recognized. Meanwhile, established community schools suffered as industrialization took a toll on Delaware’s agricultural economy, leaving little resources for social programs. In 1917, Federal Bureau of Education report exposed the state’s low literacy rate, low teacher’s salaries and deteriorating school facilities.

The report prompted reform supporters to form the Service Citizens of Delaware in 1918. Funded by Pierre duPont and led by James Odell, the organization was part of a national movement to assimilate immigrants and naturalized American citizens, including the improvement of schools for African American students. The group lobbied for a new school code to establish equal tax rates and dispersal of revenue. The Service Citizens employed experts from Columbia University to conduct a survey of existing conditions.

DuPont established the Delaware Auxiliary Association to oversee the construction of new schools with recommendations from the survey team. Although he contributed funding for both white and black schools in Delaware, opposition to the equal distribution resources caused duPont to prioritize the construction and upgrade of African American schools. Ultimately, 91 duPont schools were built or improved in African American settlements, 1922-1925.

The Auxiliary Association hired architect James Oscar Betelle, who based his school designs on educational reform ideas of the period. Theorist John Dewey influenced the work of reform architects, emphasizing healthy conditions and adequate facilities as key factors in educational success. Betelle’s plans reflected the comforts of residential structures, with popular characteristics of colonial and other revival styles. The cottage-like buildings were designed in both symmetrical and asymmetrical plans with gable roofs, clad in shingles or clapboard. Architectural details included porticos with pediments supported by columns. Large banks of wide sash windows capitalized on light and ventilation. Interiors ranged from one to three rooms with moveable furniture for realization of reform teaching and learning practices.

A 1997 survey found about 55 extant schools in various states of use and condition, from ruin to active community center. Part II of this article will explore three examples of how Delaware’s duPont schools are used today.

Libbie Hawes is a Program Assistant in the Northeast Field Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, works to save America's historic places.

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Hunting for Georgia’s Equalization Schools

Posted on: March 15th, 2011 by Guest Writer

Written by Joy Melton

The concrete covered walkway highlights the entrance to the equalization era building on the Carver Freshman Campus. (Photo: Joy Melton)

What usually has a flat roof, large banks of windows and is clad in bricks? The answer: an equalization school. Equalization schools were built in Georgia during the 1950s and 1960s to create school facilities that were “separate but equal” for whites and blacks. As an intern for African American Programs at the State Historic Preservation Office in Georgia, I - along with my supervisor (and National Trust Board of Advisors member) Jeanne Cyriaque - have surveyed numerous equalization schools. This project is of particular interest because nearly 400 new schools were built and additions were made to over 100 existing equalization schools for African Americans in Georgia alone. In a state as geographically diverse as Georgia, Jeanne and I have studied a wide variety of adaptive uses for these historic school buildings.

The Roberts School in Acworth was recently rehabilitated for adaptive use as a community center. A low flat roof, brick exterior and large banks of windows are common architectural features. (Photo: Jeanne Cyriaque)

I begin each assignment by researching possible addresses for each school and mapping out directions. The research of Reuben Acosta, a former intern in the office, has been invaluable in helping me locate the schools. Reuben prepared a school list that identifies information such as the county and city of each school that he researched at the Georgia Archives. Information, gathered by my co-workers, on equalization schools from Section 106 and environmental review has also been helpful. Additionally, during Jeanne’s frequent travels across the state for speaking engagements and meetings about African American resources, we learn of and document equalization schools in the area.

In the field, Jeanne and I have traveled to over 80 equalization schools in 45 counties. Today, many equalization schools are still in use as schools, some are vacant while many others boast creative adaptive uses such as a homeless shelter in Morven, a church in Pearson, and an assisted living facility in Valdosta. The most highly used example is a community center such as the one located in Woodbine which houses a Head Start/daycare, senior center, health department, cooperative extension program and alumni meeting place. Many alumni of the equalization schools are still living and have been a tremendous help with preservation efforts.

The 1923 Coffee County Training Rosenwald School in Douglas now known as the Carver Freshman Campus was a recent discovery of a Rosenwald and equalization school on one campus. (Photo: Joy Melton)

Several equalization schools also have Rosenwald schools on their campuses. These include the Colored Memorial Rosenwald School/ Risley School in Brunswick, the Eleanor Roosevelt Rosenwald School in Warm Springs and the Vienna High and Industrial School in Vienna. Rosenwald schools, funded in part by the philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, represent another large construction boom in schools for African Americans in the early 20th century. One of our recent equalization school discoveries is Fairmont High also known as Griffin Vocational, the 50th Rosenwald school discovery in Georgia.

Along the journey, Jeanne and I have encountered amazing success stories and incredible people who work to preserve and find new uses for these endangered yet historic treasures. Within our office, architectural historian Steven Moffson is researching and documenting equalization schools. Steven will speak on equalization schools at the Georgia Statewide Preservation Conference in Macon, March 31^st- April 1^st 2011.

Joy Melton is a graduate student in the Heritage Preservation Program, Historic Preservation Track at Georgia State University and an intern in African American Programs at the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office. She attended the National Preservation Conference as a member of the Diversity Scholarship Program in 2009 and 2010.

Would you like to attend the National Preservation Conference as a member of the 2011 Diversity Scholarship Program? We are now accepting applications for this year’s conference, which will take place in Buffalo, New York from October 19-22. The deadline to apply online is June 1, 2011.

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Award-Winning Preservation: People and Partnerships Come Together to Save Rosenwald Schools

Posted on: February 8th, 2011 by Guest Writer 2 Comments

Written by Jeanne Cyriaque

As I walked across the stage to receive an Honor Award for the Initiative to Save Rosenwald Schools, I reflected on what an incredible journey it has been to save these endangered African American community landmarks.

My interest in preserving Georgia’s Rosenwald Schools started in 2001, when I began to meet advocates, alumni, and preservationists across the South who shared a common bond in preserving these historic schools. My interest increased when I attended a conference in Alabama and saw an excellent exhibit on their schools. Wanting to find out what happened to Georgia’s Rosenwald Schools, I journeyed to Fisk University to search their database, photos and files, and when I located the Georgia list, I knew that finding the surviving schools in Georgia would be no small undertaking. I began to focus my field research on locating living persons in communities who could help me to find the buildings and associated stories.

A major break occurred when the National Trust listed Rosenwald Schools on its annual listing of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Shortly after this list came out, I became a founding member of the Rosenwald Initiative. The Southern Office of the Trust had a knack for finding people like me in every state who wanted to preserve these schools, and gradually we collectively formed a movement that resulted in numerous rehabilitation initiatives.

With help from the National Trust, the Rosenwald Initiative formed partnerships at many levels, culminating in a initiative with Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, who funded bricks and mortar projects. Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle and Peter Ascoli, members of the initiative, wrote new books about Rosenwald Schools and the philanthropist, while grassroots advocates returned the buildings to new uses in their communities. We held a Rosenwald School conference at Fisk University and obtained funding from Cracker Barrel to support the digitization of the photo images that are now linked to our website, www.rosenwaldschools.com. Alice Rosenwald established a grant program with the National Trust to aid planning related projects. We established a contact person in each state to field inquiries about the schools.

Several states, including Georgia, prepared historic contexts and submitted multiple property nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. I continue to search for Georgia’s Rosenwald Schools, and have located 50 surviving buildings. My work with Georgia’s surviving Rosenwald Schools was featured in People 2 People, an Atlanta ABC affiliate. The video features the Noble Hill School in Cassville that is always my inspiration for both its story and achievement as an adaptively used Rosenwald School. The Noble Hill School was featured in a National Trust publication, Preserving Rosenwald Schools. The Griffin Vocational School/Fairmont High School is the newest surviving building that is featured in the video.

Initiative to Save Rosenwald Schools, Southern United States
Award Type: Honor Award

Jeanne Cyriaque coordinates African American programs in the Historic Preservation Division (Georgia State Historic Preservation Office) at the Dept. of Natural Resources. She represents Georgia on the Board of Advisors for the National Trust.

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrates the best of preservation by presenting National Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation. This is the latest in a series of posts highlighting 2010′s winners. Do you know of a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project? We are now accepting nominations for the 2011 National Preservation Awards. Learn more »

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Columbia Rosenwald School Restored to Once Again Educate Children

Posted on: November 4th, 2009 by Guest Writer 1 Comment

Written by Naomi Smith

Columbia Rosenwald School

On Saturday, October 24, the Columbia Rosenwald School celebrated its restoration and Grand Re-Opening. It was a sunny and exciting day, made possible by the hard work and generosity of the West Columbia, TX community, and larger support from organizations such like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Lowe’s, among others.

The restoration project was a long and challenging one. The school was discovered in 1995, while being used as a hay barn. It took 14 years to raise the necessary funding and implement our plans. The first step was to move the building across town to its new home adjacent to the historical museum prior to beginning the restoration.

To date, 85 alumni who attended the school from 1921 to 1948 have been identified. About 15 still live in West Columbia or nearby cities and towns and most were in attendance at the re-opening of the school. With nearly 600 people in there in all, the day kicked off with tours of the museum and school, followed by Gospel music from the Apostolic Church choir, and students from Barrow and West Columbia elementary schools singing songs from the 1920s. A hot dog lunch was donated for the entire crowd, and then the ribbon cutting and rededication began. Representatives from both Lowe’s and the National Trust spoke at the event.

The building is now filled with school furnishings from the 1920’s and will serve as West Columbia’s first children’s museum. The children that have visited are fascinated to see what life was for their great-grandparents’ generation so many years ago.

When Julius Rosenwald dreamed of creating this school building program, he wanted blacks and whites, rich and poor, farmers and bankers to work together to raise money and help to build the schools. I’m so pleased that we have come full circle in 2009 to restore the school. Our entire community has rallied together for this project and Mr. Rosenwald's vision has been realized, and the building will once again be used to educate our children.

The Columbia Rosenwald School received a $50,000 grant in 2009, part of a larger, $1,000,000 annual donation from Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation to fund historic preservation projects throughout the country. Since 2006, Lowe’s has generously contributed $4M to fund 53 preservation and restoration projects across the country, including 33 Rosenwald School buildings.

Guest blogger, Naomi Smith is a Board Member of the Columbia Historical Museum and served as the Chair of the Columbia Rosenwald Steering Committee.

For more information on the National Trust’s Rosenwald Schools Initiative: