Rosenwald Schools in Wood County

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Rosenwald Schools in Wood County. Now settle in, because this one's a story about buildings, yes, but more than that, it's a story about a hunger that no amount of poverty or neglect could put out. The hunger for education.

In the nineteen twenties, black schoolchildren across the South, mostly poor, mostly rural, were making do with old dilapidated buildings and out-of-date textbooks. Just let that picture sit for a moment. Children showing up, ready to learn, and the tools handed to them were already worn out before they ever touched them.

That's the world this story starts in. Now enter Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and African American educator Booker T. Washington.

These two men, working in collaboration, put together a funding program to build African American schools throughout the South. Schools ranging from one-teacher units all the way up to seven-teacher units. But here's where it gets interesting.

The Rosenwald Fund didn't just arrive like a gift with no strings. It came with requirements. Local school authorities had to provide financial support.

Private contributions had to come in from the community itself. So the people who needed these schools the most had to reach into their own pockets, stretch their own ingenuity, make their own sacrifices, and they did. The black community's fervent desire for education resulted in millions of dollars raised for the project.

You read that right. Millions. By the time the program ended in 1932, over five thousand three hundred schools had been built across fifteen states.

Now that is a number worth sitting with. Over five thousand three hundred schools, built because communities refused to accept what they'd been handed. Wood County, Texas was part of that story.

Eight schools were built here under the Rosenwald program, and each one has its own chapter. The McMillan School, a one-teacher school, went up during the 1923 to 1924 school year. The Reinhart School, also a one-teacher school, was built from 1927 to 1928.

Then came the two-teacher schools: Webster, built during the 1924 to 1925 school year; Lloyd and Winnsboro, both built during the years 1927 to 1928 and 1928 to 1929 respectively. But a few of these schools were something more than just a classroom. The Muddy Creek School, built during the 1921 to 1922 school year, included a teacher's home and a shop building.

The Hawkins Rosenwald School, built during the 1927 to 1928 school year, came with the same, a teacher's home and a shop building. And the Fouke School, sometimes spelled Fauke, built during the 1922 to 1923 school year, included a teacher's home as well. Now the Fouke School has a coda that oral interviews helped preserve.

That school was altered and renovated over the years and now stands as the Fouke Community Center. A building that began as a place of learning is still a place where the community gathers. The marker says it plainly, and it bears repeating: Julius Rosenwald and Booker T.

Washington provided the plan and the financial assistance. But it was the black community and local governments of places like Wood County who brought that plan to fruition, driven by their determination for education. The buildings were the result.

The determination was the story.

What the marker says

In the 1920s, black schoolchildren, mostly poor and rural, attended school in old dilapidated buildings with out-of-date textbooks. Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, in collaboration with African American educator Booker T. Washington, provided funding to build African American schools throughout the south, ranging from one- to seven-teacher units. The Rosenwald Fund came with numerous requirements, including financial support from local school authorities and private contributions. Fervent desire for education in the black community along with sacrifices and ingenuity resulted in millions of dollars raised for the project. By the time the program ended in 1932, over 5,300 schools were built in fifteen states. In Wood County, eight schools were built under the Rosenwald program. The one-teacher schools were McMillan, built during the 1923-24 school year and Reinhart, built from 1927-28. The two-teacher schools were Webster (1924-25), Lloyd (1927-28) and Winnsboro (1928-29). The Muddy Creek School, built during the 1921-22 school year, included a teacher’s home and a shop building, as did the Hawkins Rosenwald School built during the 1927-28 school year. In addition, the Fouke (Fauke) School, built during the 1922-23 school year, included a teacher’s home. Oral interviews revealed that the Fouke School was altered and renovated, and now is the Fouke Community Center. Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington provided the plan and financial assistance but the black community and local governments brought their plan to fruition with their determination for education. (2012)