Dilapidated, rotting buildings are a familiar sight on the South’s rural roads. Some were obviously barns or residences. Some are so unrecognizable it’s hard to guess how they may have looked before and what happened there. For years an important piece a Cave Spring school that is an important piece of African-American history was rotting away on a hill off Padlock Mountain Road. A woman’s curiosity about her father and a dedicated group of volunteers led to the preservation of an important part of the United States’ education history. The story of Fairview School and the students who attended there from 1924 to 1955 has now been preserved for future generations.
In 2011, the Fairview School was listed as one of the “Places in Peril” by the Georgia Trust For Historic Preservation. Since that time, the kudzu is gone and a replica of the first-grade classroom has opened. Visitors can still see the chimney and brick from other structures located on the campus. The story of Fairview School and thousands like it began with two men from different walks of life.
Two men, one vision
The story of Fairview School is part of a larger story of how two men came together with a vision for education. The information is compiled from books, the Fairview School and other musuems.
While the slaves were freed after the Civil War education remained a barrier for African-American children. Black and white children did not attend the same schools. The schools for black children were underfunded and one teacher usually taught all ages from first grade to high school.
Julius Rosenwald was a Jewish clothier by trade but he was concerned about the African-American community. He worked his way up at what then was one of the most prestigious companies in the United States, starting as a supplier for Sears, Roebuck and Company before becoming an investor and then president. An associate introduced him to African-American scientist Booker T. Washington, the founder of Alabama’s Tuskegee University.
Washington was born into slavery in the 1850s. He became a teacher and established Tuskegee University in Alabama. Rosenwald joined the board of directors at the university, later endowing the school. The two men built several schools in Alabama. After Washington died, Rosenwald established a fund to provide African-American children the opportunity to have a better education. About 5,000 schools were built thanks to the vision of these two men.
The beginning of a unique Cave Spring school
In the early 1900s, Cave Spring was a small town but it was known for its commitment to education. The Georgia School for the Deaf, another Cave Spring school, was established there in 1846. The city had an established school for African-American students but little is known about it. The school created there evolved into Fairview School.
The Rosenwald Fund was not designed to give schools all of the money needed for the schools so Cave Spring leaders had to support the school and that included funding. The community, the PTA and others came together to raise the $3,600 needed for the school. Fairview School opened its doors in 1924. The school grew to four buildings, educating children up to 11th grade. In 1950, high school students were bused to an African-American high school in Rome beginning in 1950. Fairview continued as an elementary school.
A decade of change
The historic U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education led to the construction of new schools for African-Americans that were considered “separate but equal. ” Herman Talmadge, Georgia’s governor at the time, ordered new schools in Georgia. One of those schools was built across the street from Fairview School in 1954. Students from Fairview transferred to the new E.S. Brown School. Local contractor Henry Chubb purchased the Fairview campus of the Cave Spring school. The E.S. Brown School closed during the 1967-68 school year.
Preserving history
When Joyce Perdue-Smith returned to the Cave Spring, she began researching information about her father, local educator Eugene Perdue. Her research led her to the rotting Cave Spring school up a hill on Padlock Mountain Road. The former E.S. Brown School, where her father has served as principal, had been demolished years earlier. Perdue-Smith began efforts to restore the school with the help of volunteers and the community. Thousands of dollars were raised and the organization received state grants to help further the project. In 2016, the school was added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places.
A first-person account of Fairview School
Hardy Sams attended Fairview School beginning in first grade his aunt was his teacher. It was different time in history. He remembers how they separated the boys and girls.
“If you did cross the line and go on the girl’s side, at recess, you would be in trouble,” Sams said. “And when trouble came, it was not just standing in the corner. It was a whipping with a paddle and I think written on the paddle was ‘the board of education.'”
The fond memories included festivities at the maypole in May when where were sack races and other activities. And recess was always a favorite, according to Sams.
The next chapter
In February 2019 visitors got their first look at the renovated first-grade classroom. Artifacts found during the renovation are displayed along with pictures of students who attended the school.
But the Fairview School story and its part in African-American Education is not ending here. Joyce Perdue Smith and her volunteers are continuing to tell the Cave Spring school’s story with tours. You can find out more about Fairview School’s history, future plans and previous fundraising efforts on the organization’s website.
Another Rosenwald School is located about a half-hour away in Bartow County. Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial is the site of the first Rosenwald School in Northwest Georgia. Today it is the home of a black history museum. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Place. Noble Hill is located off U.S. 41 north of Cartersville. Admission is free.
