The West Southern Pines Rosenwald School: Cornerstone of the Community
In December, 2021 the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust won a two year battle to buy back the historic West Southern Pines school property. The property was originally the site of a Rosenwald school constructed on four acres donated by the African American community. The campus was later expanded to 17 acres, and the Rosenwald building was replaced. However, the cultural significance of the property remained, as did the pride community members had in their school.
When the West Southern Pines Rosenwald School was constructed in 1925, the surrounding African American community donated cash to obtain a grant from the Rosenwald Fund, as was typical with Rosenwald schools. This money, along with the donated land, were given to Moore County Schools over and above the taxes paid by the community. Some history is in order if we are to understand the community’s resilience, as well as their long journey to reclaiming the school.
During the Reconstruction era, North Carolina’s African American citizens made gains in self-governance, land ownership, and established many churches and fraternal orders (Crow, Escott & Hatley, p.98). They also influenced the development of education in North Carolina by supporting universal public education. Prior to that, as noted by Thusen, in 1860 “only half of North…
