Smithville Rosenwald School

Smithville Rosenwald is located in Cornelius, a small suburb of Charlotte. The location of this school was once a thriving, predominantly Black community called Smithfield. The community was named after James and Clifford Smith, who provided land for the school. The school served African American children from 1922- 1954. The wooden school was constructed based on Rosenwald's floor plan. No. 3, which could support 3 teachers. After integration, Smithville served as a community center, but it is currently abandoned. After becoming a historical landmark in 2006, the community is looking for new ways to use the school building. 

The Mecklenburg County Board of Education purchased the school's land from James H. and Clifford E. Smith for $500. The total cost for the school was $4,000. African Americans Contributed $500; the White community contributed $2,600, and the Rosenwald fund contributed $900. Two of the first teachers are recorded as Ms. Zetta Sherill and Mrs. Geraldine McCullough. During the 1922-1923 school year, 135 students were enrolled at Smithville, with a daily attendance average of 102 students.

 Two Smithville alumni described a typical day at the school. Each school day started with devotion, followed by classes, recess, lunch, and the rest of the classes. If students had to use the restroom, a two-seat privy was located behind the school for use during recess. Because Smithville was a neighborhood school, the majority of the students walked. However, some students rode the bus. The school was not in session throughout the entire year. It operated on a seasonal split session. This allowed students to help their families during planting and harvest time. 

In 1954, the Board of Education of Mecklenburg County auctioned the school. Wilson Potts, Ernest Harville, Ozon Brice, Mac Brice, and James Caldwell purchased the school for approximately $2,500 and turned it into the Better Community Club. Better Community Club held fundraising events, dances, housed a barbershop, served as a health vaccination clinic, and was also a stop for the mobile library. Due to funding, the Better Community Club was unable to withstand the test of time. Because the school is almost 100 years old, it requires many repairs. 

In 2006, the school was designated a historic landmark. With this designation, owners must receive approval from the town's historic preservation commission to make major alterations to the building or destroy it. It also means the owner receives a 50 percent reduction in property taxes. Smithville still needs many repairs to make the building functional again. The community is optimistic that one day it can become the beacon for the community that it was in the past. 

Leslie B. Rindoks, A Town By Any Other Name (Lorimer Press, 2005).

Fisk University, “Rosenwald Database,” http://rosenwald.fisk.edu (accessed December 8th, 2020.

School budget of Mecklenburg County (colored). submitted by the County Board of Education, 1922 - 1923 .

“Smithville” Town of Cornelius Historic Preservation Commission, http://landmarkscommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Smithville-Rosenwald-School-SR.pdf

 Rosenwald school still holds Smithville's heart.” Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina), February 21, 2011.