Canetuck Rosenwald School

Prior to 1922, the only school available to African American children in the Canetuck
community of southeastern North Carolina was an old lodge building where classes were held sporadically. Many were glad to be part of the first class to enter the Canetuck Rosenwald school, completed in 1922. Funding for the two-room school came mostly from the African American residents in the Canetuck community. Many of the donors were parents who knocked on doors collecting mostly pennies and dimes so their children could have the opportunity to learn to read and write unlike many of them did. Their efforts resulted in $1,226 raised for the school. Additional funding was given from the Rosenwald Fund and Pender County. The land for the school was donated by Benjamin Franklin Keith, who was a European American resident of Canetuck.

The Canetuck School operated from 1922 to 1958 as a two-teacher school, and at various times
offered the first through sixth or seventh grades. Teachers at the Canetuck School cultivated academic excellence and future leaders. The curriculum they followed was the standard liberal arts curriculum used by all North Carolina Schools. While they often lacked books and materials, they used recitation, music, and drama to foster community spirit and good citizenship. The Canetuck School led some determined students to the Pender County Training School, another Rosenwald School, where their education prepared them to enter college or work in agriculture or a trade.

Of the 18 Rosenwald buildings built on 15 campuses throughout Pender County, the Canetuck Rosenwald school is the best preserved. Of the 5,357 schools, shops and teacher homes that were constructed between 1917 and 1932 only about 10-12 percent of these historic buildings are estimated to survive today. Renovations to the school occurred in the 1970’s and in 2010 with help from community members, alumni and students from the Cape Fear Community College.

Today the Canetuck School is used as the Canetuck Community Center and has been a been meeting place for the community, hosting various events and as a polling place and a Hurricane Disaster Relief location. It is a rare and valuable cultural asset for North Carolina and was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation Program in 2019. Canetuck alumni carry on a tradition of service at the former Canetuck Rosenwald school, which still exists at the heart of its community almost one hundred years after families there sacrificed so much to obtain a school for their children.

Located at 6098 Canetuck Rd, Currie, NC 28435.

Adapted from an article by Claudia Stack, for more information on Pender County Rosenwald schools please visit http://stackstories.com/ or check out these articles.

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-daniels-leaders-in-excellence-at-a-nc-rosenwald-school-dae4e947e0cb

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-builders-sc-and-venetta-anderson-125fabde4ccd