Georgia Magazine - February 2022 - 14

many of our alumni have gone on to have successful careers as
doctors, entrepreneurs and community leaders. "
She points to three framed photos hanging on a wall near
closets labeled " ladies " and " gents. "
" These are the men who made our school possible, " Battle
says. " Mr. Charles Fitzgerald and his wife donated the 3.5 acres
to build the school. And of course, we are forever grateful for
the efforts and generosity of Booker T. Washington and
Julius Rosenwald. "
Unlikely partnership
Washington was a noted black educator and founding
president of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala.
Rosenwald, a white, Jewish business mogul, sat at the
helm of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and donated much of his
wealth to fund Progressive Era projects.
" Both men believed education was key to long-term
achievement and success, " says Tyrone Griffin,
president of the nonprofit arm that fundraises for the
Fairview School
Above: The Eleanor Roosevelt
School was the last Rosenwald
School built. Left: Co-owners
Voncher Walker (left) and
Debron Walker (right) worked
with Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation President and
CEO Mark McDonald and
others from the trust to
restore the building.
Hiram Rosenwald School Museum. " But the schools in the
South were segregated in the early 20th century, and due to
disproportionate funding, some black communities didn't
have schools, and if they did, sometimes they were in terrible
condition. Booker T. Washington asked Mr. Rosenwald to help
him build quality school buildings for the poor black children of
the South, and Mr. Rosenwald said, 'Yes.' "
Rosenwald donated his money contingent upon individual
communities' securing the parcels of land and raising some
of the funds required to build the schools. Between 1912 and
1932, Rosenwald and his fund's Rural School Building Program
helped build more than 5,000 schoolhouses in black communities
across the South.
In Georgia, more than 35,000 students were taught in 243
Uncovering a national treasure
In Cave Spring, a tiny schoolhouse on a hillside had been
swallowed by time and kudzu before volunteers found it and
began uncovering it. The structure was once a school building
for fi rst graders in the black community, in a time before school
integration. Opened in 1924, the schoolhouse and other
buildings were part of the Fairview campus.
" The original Rosenwald School is no longer there, but its
chimney still stands, " says Joyce Perdue-Smith, chairman of the
Fairview-E.S. Brown Heritage Corp. " It was a three-classroom
building. We plan to interpret the area where it stood as three
gardens representing the three classrooms, with seating for
visitors. "
The remains of the fi rst grade building were listed on the
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's Places in Peril in 2011.
Thanks to work by a team of dedicated supporters in the years
after that, the Fairview School project was named to the National
Register of Historic Places in 2017 and earned a 2020 Excellence
in Restoration Award from the trust.
To learn more about the Fairview School or to make a
donation, visit fairviewbrown.org.
14 Georgia Magazine February 2022
Rosenwald Schools, all having similar design elements. Expansive
double-hung windows oriented toward the east or west
provided natural light for classwork and plenty of ventilation
during the warmer months. Modest exteriors were also common
among the schools.
Working together
Several of Georgia's Rosenwald buildings have been
salvaged by alumni, volunteers and clubs devoted to restoring
the landmarks and preserving their rich history.
In Camden County, the Kinlaw Rosenwald School showcases
a bright-red pine exterior and tin roof. Surviving a century
of hurricanes, tropical storms and searing heat and humidity,
the original three-classroom structure still sits high on its
original brick foundation.
" Reviving Kinlaw Rosenwald School has been a project of
love, " says Deborah Milstead, president of the South Georgia
Normal and Industrial Institute (SGNII) in Kingsland. " Most
members of our board of directors are descendants of students
who attended school here. One member is a contractor and
helped us plan out the work. Another member took the lead on
restoring the yard. Another was in charge of painting. I stained
the floors. I didn't know how to do it, but now I do. "
GEORGIA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
GEORGIA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
GEORGIA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
http://www.fairviewbrown.org
Georgia Magazine - February 2022

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