Ware Creek School: A Remarkably Preserved Rosenwald School in Beaufort County
More than a century after it first welcomed students, Ware Creek School still stands as one of the best-preserved Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina. Located in the rural community of Blounts Creek, this simple white frame schoolhouse represents an important chapter in Beaufort County's educational history and serves as a lasting reminder of the determination of local families who believed every child deserved an education.
I stopped by recently to photograph the building as rain showers moved through the area. Even beneath dark skies, its history is impossible to overlook. Unlike many Rosenwald Schools that have disappeared or been heavily altered, Ware Creek School remains remarkably intact, allowing visitors to experience much of what students would have seen when the school opened in 1921.
Building a Better Future
Ware Creek School was funded in 1919 and dedicated in 1921 during the height of the Rosenwald School building program. At the time, educational opportunities for African American children in rural North Carolina were often limited, with many attending overcrowded schools in inadequate buildings.
The school was made possible through a partnership between the local African American community, the Beaufort County Board of Education, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Families in the community contributed money, land, labor, and materials because they believed education was worth the sacrifice. Their efforts created a school that would serve generations of local children for more than thirty years.
Designed With Purpose
Although modest in appearance, every part of Ware Creek School was carefully planned.
Large banks of windows filled each classroom with natural light, an essential feature before rural schools had electricity. Folding partitions between the classrooms allowed them to be opened into one large meeting space for assemblies and community events. The building also included an industrial classroom, reflecting Booker T. Washington's emphasis on vocational education, although former students recalled that it was primarily used as an additional classroom and lunchroom rather than for industrial training.
A Rare Example
What makes Ware Creek School especially significant is that it differs slightly from the Rosenwald Fund's published plans.
The building closely resembles the standard "Two Teacher Community School" design introduced in 1921, but it was constructed with three classrooms instead of two. Historians believe it may have served as an experimental prototype while the Rosenwald Fund was developing its standardized plans, making it one of the more distinctive surviving Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina.
More Than a School
Like many Rosenwald Schools, Ware Creek quickly became the heart of its community.
In addition to educating local children, the building hosted meetings, gatherings, and community events. Even after the school closed in 1952, it continued serving the community as a civic building operated by descendants of many of the families who originally helped build it. That continued use played a major role in preserving the structure for future generations.
Preserving an Important Piece of History
Today, Ware Creek School remains one of the most intact Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina. Its original floor plan, large classroom windows, folding partitions, woodwork, and overall design have survived with only minor alterations over the past century. Because of its outstanding preservation and its importance to African American education in Beaufort County, the school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Standing in front of the building today, it's easy to imagine children arriving each morning, books in hand, ready to learn. More than one hundred years later, Ware Creek School continues to tell the story of a community that invested in education, worked together, and created something that has stood the test of time.
Sources
National Register of Historic Places. Ware Creek School (BF0215), Beaufort County, North Carolina. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, 1996.
