Under the Kudzu

New Hanover and Brunswick County communities were also active in the Rosenwald school building movement.  New Hanover County built nine Rosenwald schools, and Brunswick County built eleven.

Wrightsboro  (New Hanover County)  school (photo from Fisk archive)

Two-teacher school- year built not listed- this was probably an early school built under the Tuskegee program prior to 1920

Brunswick County residents showed their resilient spirit by building a larger training school after its first one burned upon completion in 1922.  Undeterred by the fire and the fact that their insurance money ($4500) was subsequently lost in a bank failure, Brunswick County residents built this six-teacher training school in 1923-24 (expanded in later years):

 Brunswick County Training School #2 in 1924 (photo from Fisk archive)

Williston High School (New Hanover County)  graduates 1939 

Although the origins of Williston predate the Rosenwald Fund (Williston was founded by the American Missionary Association during Reconstruction), it too was influenced by the Rosenwald Fund.  For its twenty-teacher school and shop building built in 1930-31, Williston got $7600 from the Rosenwald Fund.

This reflected the Fund's increasing emphasis on helping to  build consolidated high schools that offered vocational training, versus small rural schools. 

 Willston High School 1931 (photo courtesy of New Hanover Public Library)