ABOUT
Dunbar Heritage Place is a Rosenwald School built in 1926 in the Dunbar community of Clio, South Carolina. This sacred ground served as a place for the education of African-American children when schools across the south were segregated. According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, nearly 500 schools were constructed across South Carolina to educate African-American children who were the sons and daughters of families who were sharecroppers. In Marlboro County, thirteen Rosenwald schools were constructed. This is one of the few that remains standing today.
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The Dunbar School, according to historical records, was constructed using combined monies from the African-American community, the public, and a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation. The total cost was $3,300. According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the support to build these schools began in 1915 when Sears & Roebuck President Julius Rosenwald established a matching grant fund to construct quality schools across the South. The Dunbar School was one of those schools and became a beacon of hope and educational opportunity in the rural community of Dunbar, South Carolina.
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The massive undertaking to construct the schools was a collaboration between Booker T. Washington, a famed author, educator, and orator and Julius Rosenwald, a Chicago businessman and philanthropist. Both men worked together to change the educational landscape for thousands of African-American children. Rosenwald provided the financial arm and Washington provided the vision and determination to provide an education for African-American children.
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As a community, we are working to restore the rich history of the Dunbar School, a Rosenwald School. Everything we do here will be with purpose. We will strive to uplift and encourage those still living in the Dunbar community and beyond the country roads and fields that border it. We will restore this historic place of our ancestors to once again be a beacon of opportunity for all who call Dunbar home.
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Undated photo of Dunbar School
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washignton
Courtesy: The Library of Congress
Graduation Diploma of Dunbar School Student Courtesy: Nan B. Fleming
SCHOOLHOUSE MEMORIES
"What did I do for fun when I was young? I worked and I got no fun in that. However, I loved going to school. I went to Kindle Elementary in Sumter County and Dunbar Elementary in Marlboro County, South Carolina. Mrs. Minnie Gandy and Mr. Boyd Gandy were my teachers. I played basketball at Dunbar School. We played on the dirt court near the large oak trees out front."
- G.C. Stanton
The excerpts quoted were taken from the book, "Do You Know How to Light Your Pipe?" Written by Barbara A. Williams and Brenda F. Adams.
EVENTS
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