NC’s only remaining Freedmen’s schoolhouse to be dedicated June 19

On June 19, the Freedmen’s Schoolhouse in Smithfield will be dedicated by community leaders after completion of restorations. Out of 169 freedmen’s schoolhouses in North Carolina, this is the only remaining one. 

“Immediately after emancipation of enslaved people in 1865, missionaries came in from up north, and local blacks started opening schools to educate freedmen so that they could gain more control of their lives and learn how to read and write and do math,” Tony Johnson, director of the Johnston County Heritage Center, told the Carolina Journal. 

The Historic Smithfield Foundation is hosting the dedication at the First Missionary Baptist Church in Smithfield, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public tours of the schoolhouse, located at 308 N. Fourth Street, according to a press release. Johnston County native, Dr. Crystal R. Sanders, a descendant of the freedmen who attended the school, is an award-winning historian, author, and associate professor of African American studies at Emory University, specializing in black education and African American and civil rights history, will give the keynote remarks.

“The dedication of the Freedmen’s Schoolhouse represents an important opportunity to preserve and share a story that is both locally rooted and nationally significant,” Aaron Mullins, president and CEO of the Johnston County Visitor’s Bureau, said in a press release. “As travelers seek authentic cultural experiences and meaningful connections to American history, this site offers a powerful place to reflect on the legacy of freedom, education and resilience.”

Construction on the schoolhouse began in the fall of 1868 and was completed in the spring of 1869, according to Johnson. It was a simple two-room building with sliding pocket doors separating the two rooms.

The original schoolhouse was built by the federal Freedmen’s Bureau and sponsored by the American Missionary Association, according to the press release. More than 150 years later, the restored site honors the pursuit of education, freedom, and opportunity in the years following emancipation.

The culmination of nearly a decade of collaborative preservation efforts between the Historic Smithfield Foundation and the Johnston County Heritage Center is marked by the opening of the schoolhouse.

The restoration of the schoolhouse was made possible by support from private donors and a $250,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which was strongly advocated for by Rep. Donna White, R-Johnston, according to Johnson. 

“Our Historic Smithfield Foundation was created in 2017, and in 2019, we were able to acquire the title to the property,” Johson told the Carolina Journal. “We started doing rehabilitation work in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic, and it’s taken us another five years to actually get the certificate of occupancy and get it finished.”

According to the press release, the Schoolhouse is a significant addition to North Carolina’s cultural heritage attractions, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore an important chapter of history while experiencing Smithfield’s charming walkable downtown, diverse restaurants, museums, and historic sites.

Information regarding the Smithfield Freedmen’s schoolhouse, history, and visitor information can be found here.

“NC’s only remaining Freedmen’s schoolhouse to be dedicated June 19” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.