We first visited Mitchell School here. Mitchell was not a Rosenwald School. Rather, it was built the county school board on land donated by James G. Mitchell, a prosperous African-American farmer who lived west of Elm City.

When I first photographed Mitchell School in 2020, it was crowded on every side by pine saplings and catbrier. I recently got word that the lot had been cleared of overgrowth, exposing the school and the motley collection of trailers that surround it. The school is in amazing condition given its age and disuse. Though one of the two entrances was open, I could not access the interior because of a collapsed stoop. The property is said to have a new owner, and I hope he or she is aware of the building’s legacy.

The school has a double entrance. The westernmost is boarded up. The easternmost, below, is open, but not easily accessible. Note the solid, standing-seam roof.

The interior, as far as I could peer in. It’s junk-filled, but dry. (I don’t think this was a “little red schoolhouse,” by the way. It appears that only the area within the entry alcove was painted.)

From the west, looking east.

Mitchell School was converted to a dwelling after its closure, but seems not to have been occupied for many years. A house trailer stands directly in front of the building at a distance of perhaps twenty feet.

The eastern elevation.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, February 2024.