Scotts Rosenwald

Mr. S.L. Smith, general field agent of the Rosenwald school fund, visited Scotts Rosenwald in 1927. The purpose of his visit was to determine the amount of money Scotts will receive from the Rosenwald fund. Mr. W.F Credle, director of the North Carolina Rosenwald fund, and Celeste Henkel, the Iredell county supervisor, traveled with him to the school. The amount of money Rosenwald schools could receive varies according to size. A one-teacher school would receive around $400, while larger schools could get up to $2,100. Mr. Smith decided to give Scotts Rosenwald $900.

The first principal at Scotts Rosenwald was Miss Maggie Woods. She became the principal in the 1920s. Under her leadership, the teachers were Mrs. A. Moyer, Miss Lizzie White, Miss Emiline Campbell, and Mrs. Lorena Ellis. She also established the first PTA (Parent-Teacher Association). In the 1930s, Mrs. Mary A. Donnell became the principal. During her administration, Domestic Science was offered as a class, and the school purchased a school bus. The first bus driver was Tom Steele. Other principles before Mr. Rankin included M.H. Harrington, James Suggs, Leslie Hollowell, Quincy Davidson, and John Otis Smith. The last principal at Scotts Rosenwald was Charles W. Rankin. Charles attended Scotts Rosenwald as a student and moved up the ranks, becoming a teacher and then the principal. During his 25 year term as a principal, he also taught seventh and eighth grade. His wife, Mildred, taught at Scotts Rosenwald for 15 years. 

Principal C.W. Rankin was also the coach for the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams. The 1953 Scotts Rosenwald girl’s and boy’s basketball team won the Iredell County Elementary tournament championship. Coach C.W. Rankin was proud of his teams for their successful games. Extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs were offered at all Rosenwald schools. One of the clubs offered at Scott's was the 4-H club. During the 1968 district 4-H contest held in Salisbury, students from Scotts brought home two first-place prizes. Mary Moten and Elizabeth Cowen took first place in horticulture with an exhibition of handling and grading sweet potatoes. Johnny Brown and Robert Knox received the first place prize in field crops with an exhibition of efficient cotton production.

When Scotts Rosenwald closed, the 110 enrolled students were given a free choice of what school they wanted to attend the next school year. Most of the students decided to attend Central, Scotts (same name but not a Rosenwald school), or Monticello. The Iredell County board of education placed an ad in the paper auctioning of Scotts Rosenwald on March 13th, 1968. The opening bid was $11,390. The community purchased the school, and the remaining portion of the building (the cafeteria) is a community center. Iredell County Parks and Recreation was awarded a $183,650 grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to build Rosenwald Park. The park opened in 2014.

“Other Rosenwald Schools Planned”.Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), October 17th, 1927.

“Iredell Has Six Rosenwald Schools”.Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), January 17, 1927.

Genealogical Society of Iredell County, The Heritage of Iredell County, NC : vol. II, 2000.Statesville, N.C. : Genealogical Society of Iredell County, 2000. 69.

“Cap, Gowns,Galore: Entire Household Graduates”.Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), June 07, 1968 “Scotts Rosenwald Licks The Iredell County Champs".Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), March, 19, 1953.

“Out Of Our Past” .Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), July 17, 1977.

“North Carolina Iredell County Notice of Re-Sale of Property”.Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), March,13 1968.

“Scotts Rosenwald Park Reopens At Site Of Beloved School”.Record & Landmark (Statesville, NC), October 6, 2014.