Rosenwald Schools that educated rural blacks are mostly gone, but efforts under way to save them

A drive is under way to save and restore some of the schools that were built for rural Southern blacks in the early 20th century with help from Chicago philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. He funded more than 5,000 Rosenwald Schools for rural blacks in 15 states from 1912 to 1937. In the late 1920s, one-third of black children in the rural South attended Rosenwald schools, including this one at Hickory in far southwestern Kentucky. It has since been moved to Graves County High School.

Spot surveys indicate that no more than 800 of the 5,000-plus Rosenwald Schools remain, "their historical importance often unknown to residents and even to many of the dwindling alumni, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which calls the schools an endangered treasure," reports Erik Eckholm of The New York Times. "The need for them reflected the segregation of the age and the paltry financing of black schools. But historians say their blossoming also demonstrated the strong community ties forged by rural blacks and a fierce determination to educate their children despite official indifference." The National Trust mounted the effort largely with a $2 million donation from Lowe’s. (Read more)