Exploring the Rosenwald Building
Discover the rich history and significance of the Rosenwald Building in Pantego, NC.
Rosenwald building's and the history behind them!
The Rosenwald Building, located in Pantego, NC, is a significant landmark with a rich history. This building is a testament to the community's resilience and commitment to preserving its heritage. The building's history is intertwined with the community's story, making it more than just a physical structure. It's a symbol of the community's past, present, and future. The Rosenwald Building is a beacon of hope and a source of pride for Pantego.
Do you know the history of the Rosenwald Buildings?
WHAT IS A ROSENWALD SCHOOL? In 1910 Julius Rosenwald, the son of a Jewish immigrant couple and president of Sears, Roebuck, & Company, acceded to pressure from Booker T. Washington and provided matching grants to rural southern communities that agreed to build black schools. In 1911 Rosenwald wrote, "The horrors that are due to race prejudice come home to the Jew more forcefully than to others of the white race, on account of the centuries of persecution which they have suffered..." Officially created in 1917, the Rosenwald fund dramatically improved North Carolina's black educational facilities. 98 The Rosenwald fund not only supported the construction of hundreds of black schools but also demonstrated black North Carolinians' dedication to education. Julius Rosenwald was a generous man. He was also a wise man. He wanted communities to have a stake in the success of the schools. Most were built through a system of matching funds from the community or in trade for labor and materials. Communities rallied and one fish fry and one bake sale at a time funds were raised, and schools constructed. In 1929, the United States stock market crashed, beginning the period known as the Great Depression. As a result of the stock market crash, Sears, Roebuck and Co. stock lost a lot of value and could no longer support a school building fund. The Rosenwald Fund announced its closing in 1932.When the fund dissolved, more than 800 Rosenwald buildings stood in North Carolina, more than in any other state. The Rosenwald school building program had a widespread impact on black education in the South and its effects were felt for decades. The Fund had helped build over 5,000 new schoolhouses, teachers' homes, and industrial training workshops, spending millions of dollars inovir fifteen states. Over 600,000 students went to Rosenwald schools from the 1910s until the 1960s. Many Rosenwald schools closed when states desegregated public schools. 1011 Some school districts tore down the buildings after they closed. Some were used as community centers, homes, and sheds for storage. Thankfully in the 21st century, the historic Rosenwald schools are being saved by the historic preservation movement. Preservationists work to make sure historic buildings and places survive.
Do you know the history continued...
hopes of the people who designed them and the people who used them. Preservation also involves researching and writing the history of these schools, interviewing people who attended the schools, and finding new uses for the Rosenwald buildings. The National Trust for Historic Preservation considers Rosenwald Schools to be a "National Treasure." Preserving a Rosenwald school preserves more than a building: it preserves a community's heritage and evidence of its history. Most Rosenwald schools were abandoned and left to fall apart. The preservation of Rosenwald schools involves finding modern grant funds to make complex and costly repairs. Grant funding from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Office of Archives and the Historic State Preservation Office will provide a good first step in bringing the Pantego Rosenwald building back to a safe and usable space. These funds will shore this building up and give it a firm foundation to make future improvements possible. Once again being an educational resource, gathering place, and an anchor in the community. ON GOING FUNDING Future fundraising will be a crucial part of bringing the project to completion. Funding sources like dedicated monthly and annual donations, legacy, honorary, and memorial contributions will be critically needed to maintain what has been restored and preserved. With the monetary support of a dedicated alumni and a tireless board, all working toward a vision and a goal, the Pantego Rosenwald School and most importantly its history, will be saved for generations to come. If you would like to donate, please contact: W Raleigh and Loretta Younger at Loretta.Younger@gmail.com oa biswo 291632 12 000,000 For more information about the Rosenwald Schools and the history of race and education in the south: 19116 eniblind edi https://www.ednc.org/deep-rooted-a-brief-history-of-race-and- education-in-north-carolina/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-rosenwald-schools- shaped-legacy-generation-black-leaders-180977340/
More history below!
Here are some images showing more of the rich history of the Rosenwald Building and why it is so important especially to the community!
