| At the December 8, 2015 Council Meeting, Councilman Elton Bond reported that the he and Ann Marie Knighton, were appointed to the council’s Task Force to come up with ideas to preserve and restore the D. F. Walker building, so it will be useful to the community. The Task Force had their first meeting on 11/17/15 and got a few good ideas from the discussion. Councilman Bond also spoke about the community meeting he attended at Providence Baptist Church (11/28/15), where the alumni association expressed their ideas for the buildings’ use. Kudos to the Edenton Town Council for appointing two representatives to collaborate with the African American community, Chowan County Commissioner, and others to brainstorm ideas for the future preservation and use of the D. F. Walker High School building. |
What’s so historic about this school location?
According to the Daily Advance newspaper (2/2/2011), when the original D. F. Walker High School opened in 1932, it was one of over 5,000 historic Rosenwald schools. It was a location where African-American children were educated, residents could congregate without harassment, and “black social and civic organizations met, fundraisers for worthy community causes were held and the entire fabric of black life in Chowan County was knitted” (p. 1).
Rosenwald schools were conceived in 1910 by Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee Institute, and Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company. These schools were designed to improve African American education in the south during Jim Crow segregation. This public-private partnership also hoped to promote racial cooperation, and encourage southern localities to increase support for African American education (Hanchett, 2014, p. 23). North Carolina ranked first among southern states in embarking on new Rosenwald projects. This was due to the perseverance and diplomacy of Nathan Carter Newbold, who was appointed in 1913, by North Carolina to oversee the development of Rosenwald schools and African American administrators throughout the state. He did this successfully for 37 years, and is part of the history connected to D. F. Walker High School (Hanchett, 2014, p. 23). In 1915, Newbold and Rosenwald organized the construction of one of the first schoolhouses outside the Tuskegee area. This two-teacher facility was completed on October 8, 1915 in Chowan County. The African American community “contributed $486, the white community and the school system furnished $836, and Julius Rosenwald himself provided $300, for a total of $1,622” (Hanchett, 2014, p. 24). QUESTION: What is the Edenton Historical Commission’s stance on designating the D. F. Walker HS location as a historic site? This school location, along with the African American experiences, has historic significance to Edenton’s Jim Crow and Civil Rights history from 1913 to 1975. The town of Edenton began to include the African American presence in their history by allowing the Harriet Jacobs, Historic Edenton State Historic Site Visitor Center to open, and tell the story of one enslaved African American during its antebellum period. During an Edenton historic trolley tour, they acknowledged the work of the Myles Badham family (Range 1814-1941) who were African American architects and builders; and around 2009, the town erected an historic marker at the armory to recognize the visit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This just about sums up the promoted African American legacy in Edenton, N.C. Former D. F. Walker School Alumni Association President, Norman Brinkley, expressed the sentiments of the African American community when he said, "We talk about Edenton being an historical town; we're part of the history" (The Virginia Pilot, 2009). Let’s keep our legacy alive! | |
Edenton Town Council
http://www.townofedenton.com/index.asp?SEC=D307BCDD-17CC-4F4D-BD3A-D0D8C711D823&
- Roland Vaughn-Mayor;
- Jimmy Stallings-Mayor Pro Tem;
- Samuel Dixon-2nd Ward;
- Norma Simpson-3rd Ward;
- Elton Bond-4th Ward;
- Steve Biggs-At Large;
- Bob Quinn-At Large
References:
Hanchett, Thomas W., (2014). The Rosenwald schools and black education in North Carolina. Retrieved from: http://www.historysouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Rosenwald_Schools_NC.pdf
Photo of Nathan C. Newbold. Retrieved from: http://durhamcountylibrary.org/exhibits/jeanes/educators_bio.php#newbold
Photo of Reva Brinkley Standifer at age 96 years old. Retrieved from: http://themonticellonews.com/reva-standifer-is-honored-p11108-115.htm
Photo of 11/25/15 Edenton Town Council. Retrieved from: http://www.townofedenton.com/index.asp?SEC=D307BCDD-17CC-4F4D-BD3A-D0D8C711D823&
The Daily Advance. (February 2, 2011). Put Chowan’s interests first at Walker school. Retrieved from: https://www.dailyadvance.com/opinion/our-views/put-chowanrsquos-interests-first-walker-school-271509
The Monticello News. (September 11, 2014). Reva Standifer Is Honored. Retrieved from: http://themonticellonews.com/reva-standifer-is-honored-p11108-115.htm
The Virginia Pilot. (November 22, 2009). COA wants Edenton campus to look collegiate. Retrieved from: http://pilotonline.com/news/local/education/coa-wants-edenton-campus-to-look-collegiate/article_bdab15ff-5c23-522c-982f-162835dd4538.html
Town of Edenton Council. (December 8, 2015) Council Meeting. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrS0c-YWjKw