Walnut Cove School
Stokes County, North Carolina
Dorothy Dalton, an alumna of the Walnut Cove Colored School in Stokes County, North Carolina, described the beginning of a journey to save the school in 1994 by saying; "I rode by there one day and saw it and I just had a vision".
Originally built in 1921, the frame building had ceased being used as a school in 1952 and was converted to apartments in 1955. The school had been vacant for two years and was slated for demolition when Mrs. Dalton had her epiphany. She shared her plans with other community groups and by early 1995 had helped organize the Walnut Cove Colored School, Inc. and listed the building on the National Register. With the help of the statewide preservation organization, Preservation North Carolina, the building was purchased and adjacent land donated to the organization.
For four years the group developed its plans and raised funds, with assistance from the Rural Initiative Project. An important milestone was reached when the group decided to become a state designated Senior Center. The North Carolina Division of Aging certification of the center brought in needed operational income and activity to the project. By December 1999 the Walnut Cove Colored School had become a site for the county's hot meals program, was being used regularly as the venue for the meetings of the Walnut Cove Board of Commissioners and was hosting workshops by the Stokes County Arts Council, Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments and others. Family reunions and wedding receptions were being booked at the facility. Programs for senior citizens are still being developed even as the Walnut Cove Colored School has regained its place as an important community center.
The success of the Walnut Cove Colored School project owes much to the vision and dedication of volunteers, many of them alumni of the school. A small, rural community successfully raised over $400,000 from more than 15 different sources for the rehabilitation alone. In-kind services provided by experienced construction workers at the Dan River Prison Work Farm and electrical wiring donated by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers equaled almost $150,000 of the rehabilitation costs.
The keys to this project were the commitment of its volunteer leadership, key assistance from nonprofit organizations, a targeted and viable use for the building and support from a variety of sources. The project has received numerous awards that recognize its successful rehabilitation and positive contribution to community development, including a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the year 2000.
