Pine Grove School

Pine Grove School opened here in 1917 to serve African American students through grade 7. Support for its construction came in part from Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck & Co., who had earlier partnered with Dr. Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute in a school-building campaign. The Rosenwald Fund helped construct about 5,000 schools for Black children across the South. William and Olivia Miller deeded four acres to Cumberland County for this two-classroom building, designed by Black architects at Tuskegee. Local Black residents contributed $500 for its construction. Pine Grove School, the only school for local Black children and a hub of community activity, closed in 1964.