Rosenwald Schools

Stack has worked on several Rosenwald school preservation projects in Pender County, NC, and provided information to groups working on schools elsewhere.  She was named the 2011 David Brinkley Preservationist of the Year by Historic Wilmington Foundation, and received a 2012 Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from Preservation North Carolina.  What follows is a brief summary of her preservation work.

The Canetuck Community Center (CCC), formerly the Canetuck Rosenwald school, was constructed as a two-teacher Rosenwald school in western Pender County, NC.  It opened in 1922 and was purchased back by the community after the school’s closure in 1958.  Used as a community center in the ensuing decades, the building was lovingly maintained by alumni.  However by 2009 the exterior needed more work than could be done by alumni.  Stack worked with the Board of Directors, in particular Board Secretary Betty Thompson, to create the grant proposal that was funded by the Lowe’s Educational and Charitable Foundation.  This $40K grant provided for a complete exterior restoration of the building, ensuring that this important building can be used for years to come.  The CCC has also benefitted from the generous support of the Middle Road Foundation.  Stack continues to work with the CCC President Verta Kea and the other Board members to plan programs that benefit the community, such as health management classes, and to assist with fundraising events.  Donations may be made to: Canetuck Community Center,    P.O. Box 274, Currie NC 28435

The Lee School in Maple Hill, NC, was completed as a one-teacher school in 1924.   Its original interior partition, a sliding blackboard, is still intact.  However large holes in the roof have allowed water to threaten the structure.  Working with Historic Wilmington Foundation, Stack raised funds to have a structural engineering assessment done and to stabilize the building.