Save Legacy of Historical Morningside School

Help to repurpose what is a historical legacy that represents local freedom for African Americans in Iredell County, located in Statesville, North Carolina. As an African American Museum the facility can be a historical landmark that with a preservation plan brings services to the community and anchors an economic base needed for a Black historical district. This history is well documented and all established in this ”Freedmen Community” in 1867, as a freedmen school. It is a two room wooden school house located on South Green Street. This first negro school provided open education to those emancipated from enslavement (Bolton, 2013, p. 145). A fire destroyed a  “negro” school building on February 10, 1913 (Statesville Record & Landmark). Newspapers reported the fire as likely accidental or arson. This research points to data from the Rosenwald Fund, a philanthropic organization founded by Julius Rosenwald. This organization provided a large part of  funding our local Negro school buildings: 

 1. 1914 building: - Rosenwald Fund: $1,500 (approximately 15% of the total cost) - Local African American community: $1,000 (approximately 10% of the total cost) - Public funds: $7,500 (approximately 75% of the total cost) 

2. 1928 building: - Rosenwald Fund: $15,000 (approximately 37.5% of the total cost) - Local African American community: $5,000 (approximately 12.5% of the total cost) - Public funds: $20,000 (approximately 50% of the total cost)

It’s important to point out Rosenwald funding and contributions were crucial in supporting the construction of Statesville’s Negro schools known as Morning that our local African American community and city public funds played roles in financing Morningside Schools. 

Yes, Morningside School site and namesake are indeed historical.  Its association with Rosenwald Is amazing history. In our community’s three years of advocating, efforts to establish a sustainable economic and  preservation plan, we continue to call for saving seven highly significant landmarks/sites… The Morningside School buildings are key to historic preservation.  

Today we hope this a petition brings an influential call for the historical Garfield Street building to be an investment property commemorating Black heritage. The goal of this initiative is to create opportunities for economic equality to a wider community. Claims the building is not suited for economic development are being discussed by authorities. The city’s contracted architectural assessment of neighborhood properties is in the hands of the city’s planning department headed by City Manager Ron Smith. Iredell-Statesville Schools (ISS) is relocating administrative offices from the Garfield Street school building location in Statesville to a new location in Troutman, with a budget of $4.2 million for the relocation. The budget and the move was confirmed Saturday morning by ISS representative leading the school tour. 

References: Bolton, C. C. (2013). The road to freedom: The Great Wagon Road and the slave trade. Journal of African American History, 98(2), 145-160. 

Franklin, J. H., & Schweninger, L. (1999). Runaway slaves: Rebels on the plantation. Oxford University Press. 

Lazenby, J. (2018). The education of African Americans in North Carolina. Journal of Southern History, 84(1), 156-175. 

Photo: Morningside Alumni touring school and inspired to save its phenomenal history.