“R” is for Rosenwald Schools

“R” is for Rosenwald Schools. In the early twentieth century, schooling for southern Blacks was neither well planned nor well supported. Julius Rosenwald, a Chicago merchant and philanthropist, made the most significant contribution to the education of southern rural Blacks of the time through construction of school buildings. From 1913 to 1932, 5,357 schools, shops, and teachers’ homes were built in fifteen states through Rosenwald's contributions. Believing that schooling should be a collaborative effort, Rosenwald required that all parties give toward the community schools. Four hundred and fifty Rosenwald schools were built in South Carolina between 1913 and 1940. More than 74,000 Black students were educated in these buildings. Mt. Zion Rosenwald School in Florence, Liberty Colored High School in Pickens County, and Walhalla Graded School in Walhalla are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.