By Jheri Hardaway
Staff Writer
Louisburg, NC - The historic Perry’s School educational complex in rural Franklin County is still moving forward. Standing as a monument to African American resilience, faith, and community determination, this sprawling site is a profound piece of North Carolina history.
The Perry's School Alumni Association is a recent grant partner of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The organization was selected as one of 34 community projects across rural North Carolina to receive funding under the foundation's Community Progress Fund. These short-term investments are designed to address direct local issues, test innovative ideas, or expand successful local initiatives. The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) Board of Trustees has awarded 34 grants totaling almost $1.7 million; the website indicates that amounts range from $20,000 to 30,000.
Perry’s School has lived multiple distinct lives. Following emancipation, formerly enslaved families in Franklin County recognized that true freedom required empowering both "the heart for God, and then the mind." Communities built local churches and quickly established modest, one-room schoolhouses nearby to educate their children. Local white landowner Joshua Perry donated the acreage to build the first school. In the 1920s, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington to build thousands of state-of-the-art schools for Black children across the South. A larger Rosenwald frame structure was erected to accommodate the growing student population. In 1949, a modern white school building was constructed, followed by a concrete block addition in 1953 and a gymnasium in 1963. Buses traveled massive distances across the county to bring Black students to the high school. Post-integration in 1968, the county stripped the historic "Perry’s" name from the high school, re-designating the facility as K-5 Gold Sand Elementary before it permanently closed its doors in 1990.
Today, the vacant campus has a new energy around it, although many of the alumni remain in leadership to see the property back to a state of use. Since its closure in 1990, the building has faced severe challenges. Vandals have shattered windows, and roof leaks have allowed water to warp the walls of the old library. Yet, the bones of the structure remain remarkably resilient, and the passion of the community has not wavered.
What began as a grassroots effort to educate Black children after slavery is now on its fourth life, transitioning from a beloved community beacon to an abandoned structure, and hopefully, now an empowered future with well preserved legacy. The school principal, Mr. Wilson, was remembered by alumni as a loving but firm figure. "All he had to do was walk into a class," a former student laughed. "He didn't have to say one word. You were gonna be quiet." More than anything, the school reinforced a foundational network of character training shared between the home, the church, and the classroom. These buildings harness a vibrant spirit of community and rich heritage. The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation recognized it, and now more great things can happen in this powerful space.
