I went down a whole rabbit hole today at North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office’s HPOWEB 2.0 GIS mapping tool. Inching my cursor across Wilson County, I found locations (or approximate locations) for several Rosenwald schools I’ve only been able to guess at.
This location, labeled “approximate,” places Barnes School a little further south on Airport Boulevard than my guesstimate.
As identified by former students and confirmed by deed, Barnes School was here:
- Williamson School
As I’d believed, the original two-teacher Williamson School was on the premises of Williamson High School, built in 1941. [Update: this is incorrect. Williamson School was on present-day Willing Worker Road.]
- Lucama School
Confirmation that Lucama School was adjacent to First Baptist Church of Lucama.
- Kirby’s Crossing School
Earlier sources indicated two possible sites for Kirby. The information below places the school adjacent to Saint Delight Free Will Baptist.
The pin dropped to mark Saint Delight is misplaced below. The church actually is further north, visible at the right edge of the oval I added to represent the approximate location of Kirby’s School.
[UPDATE: actually, the school was on the other side of the church in a area now wooded.]
- Ferrell’s School
I only knew Ferrell’s was somewhere near Black Creek. In fact, it was a couple of miles southwest, on Perry Road, which runs roughly parallel to present-day I-795 and US 117.
- Evansdale School
I knew Evansdale School was on or near the railroad south of the crossroads that marked Evansdale community proper. This information places it on the far side of the tracks paralleling Graves Road, about halfway toward Grimsley Store Road. The school’s lot description mentions a “corner of Church lot,” which was likely Jackson Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church.
- Jones Hill School
I had assumed that Jones Hill School was adjacent to Jones Hill Primitive Baptist Church, but, per this information, it was located a little further west on Old Raleigh Road. In fact, it “stood in what is now [right-of-way]; Old Raleigh Rd. was moved slightly to the N[orth.]”
Aerial images via Google Maps.