Community celebrates 100 years o

A celebration over the weekend marked a century of history and education in Loudon.

Former students, community leaders and visitors gathered Sunday at the historic Dunbar Rosenwald School on Steekee Street to mark 100 years in the community and see the progress being made with facility restoration efforts.

Joyce Fields, president of the Dunbar Rosenwald School Foundation, said the group planned for 100 people to attend the celebration.

“We have many more celebrations that we’re going to need to do, especially when we get to doing more of the interior,” Fields said. “Hopefully at some point, we’ll do a grand celebration.”

The school was built in 1923 for African American students with support from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The location was the only Rosenwald school in the county for more than 250 students in 1930. After county schools integrated, Dunbar closed in 1965.

The school was purchased by St. Peters Lodge #30 F&AM, which held meetings in the building before becoming inactive. The building remained empty for years with only occasional community activities.

Some members of the community later became concerned the structure, which was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, was beginning to deteriorate.

The 501©(3) nonprofit foundation was incorporated in 2017 and members are working to preserve the history of the school through restoration of the building. Artifacts from the school and former students have been showcased this year at an exhibit in Nashville.

While the exterior of the school has been completed, interior work must follow for the library, railing, former boys restroom and two classrooms.

Fields said thanks to donations of money, time and talents, exterior work has been ongoing since 2017. There is no timeline for completing the interior.

“We hope that eventually it will be open to the community as a community center,” Fields said. “It is important for us to get … involved and to know this building is here for the community also.”

The Rev. Benjamin Jackson Jr. of Mt. Olive AME Zion Church in Etowah opened the celebration with a prayer to bless the efforts of the foundation and volunteers.

Ornaments were donated to the foundation by Loudon Women’s Club and were available for $12 purchase to support the nonprofit’s work.

State Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, Loudon County Mayor Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw, Loudon Mayor Jeff Harris and other officials were in attendance and offered words of support.

Shirley Smith, secretary, and Earl Smith, former treasurer, are both Dunbar alums.

“We hope that by this time next year everything will be completed,” Earl said. “… We’ve secured a grant, another grant. We got one grant that helped us to do the exterior of the building. The next grant we’ll get will help us to do the interior.”

Shirley said plumbing and HVAC work is still needed.

“But by people chipping in and helping us is a wonderful thing,” she said.

Former student Barbara West, 85, traveled from Spring City for the celebration.

“It is very important to see it restored to what it was 90 years ago,” West said. “We appreciate all the hard work everybody’s doing.”

Mary Ann Wright used to walk more than a mile daily for classes at the school. She said she had not been back since graduating but seeing friends Sunday was a wonderful experience.

Matthew Gailani, curator at the Tennessee State Museum, said he was honored to be a part of the celebration. Gailani said he has been in communication with Fields because of the exhibit earlier this year highlighting Rosenwald schools across the state.

“One of the themes, or one of the important things historically about these schools that we try to highlight in the exhibit, is ... these schools were built, yes, some of them with grant funding from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, but they existed here because those communities fought for them,” Gailani said. “They donated money when they were already being double taxed for schools they couldn’t attend. They gave resources. They gave time. They gave labor.

“These communities poured so much into these schools to have them built so their children could be educated, and then continue to fight to keep them and are continuing to keep them as part of the historical landscape,” he added.

Fields said the foundation would welcome anyone who would like to visit the school. For more information, visit the foundation’s Facebook page or email michelalewis1@gmail.com. Donations may also be sent to Dunbar Rosenwald School Foundation, 514 Steekee St., Loudon, TN 37774.