Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee

"Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," presented in partnership with Fisk University’s John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, is a community-focused exhibition that highlights the work of alumni, descendants, and organizations to preserve the legacies of Rosenwald Schools across the state. It runs June 16, 2023 - February 25, 2024 at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. #BlackHistory https://tnmuseum.org/building-a-bright-future

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Tennessee State Museum

an exhibit with pictures and information about the school's history is shown in front of a green wall

African American Culture

First Peoples

Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee Traveling Exhibit

A new traveling exhibition will share stories of Tennessee Rosenwald Schools with communities throughout the state. This traveling version of the Museum’s recent award-winning temporary exhibition, "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," is now available for loan to museums, archives, libraries, and Tennessee Rosenwald Schools. The most exciting feature of the exhibition is the opportunity for communities to add their own Rosenwald Schools information!

there are many different items on this page to describe the artist's work in his paintings

Museum Curator

Normal School

Tennessee State University

An Individual of Exceptional Promise: Frances Euphemia Thompson

We continue to share the stories of those impacted by Julius Rosenwald’s philanthropic contributions after the closing of the exhibit "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee." In this week’s Stories blog, Museum curator of social history, Tranae Chatman, looks at the life and legacy of Tennessee State University art educator Frances Euphemia Thompson and how a Rosenwald Fund Fellowship was an important part of her trajectory.

a display case with a model of a school building on the front and side walls

East Tennessee

Community Collaboration

Rosenwald schools provided education for rural Black students in Tennessee

By 1928, one-third of the South’s rural Black school children and teachers were served by Rosenwald schools, with about 350 built in Tennessee. In the exhibition "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," on display through February 25, the Museum highlights stories surrounding the importance of community, collaboration, and philanthropy.

an old red brick building with a clock tower

Jubilee Hall at Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee

When Fisk University was founded in 1866, it focused on training Black teachers. Education was provided for other specializations including for lawyers, politicians, religious leaders, skilled trades, and more. Black graduates took their newfound knowledge back to their hometowns, providing support and leadership in communities across the state. Today, it offers over 20 undergraduate and graduate programs, nurturing students to be leaders in communities throughout Tennessee and beyond.

a wooden bench sitting in front of a glass display case

The Rosenwald Fund Emphasized Modern School Desks

Grants provided by the Rosenwald Fund helped Black rural communities establish modern schoolhouses that were safe and functional. The new buildings replaced dilapidated or overcrowded facilities and served as multi-purpose meeting places for educational, recreational, or religious services. The Rosenwald Fund emphasized that their schools must be furnished with modern school desks. This more modern version was made by Buffalo Hardware Company in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

an assortment of old and new items displayed on a black background with white house in the background

The Most Popular Museum Blog Posts of 2023

With two exhibitions this year focused on the history and legacy of Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee, it's no surprise that two of the most-read posts published to our Thousands of Stories blog this year concerned Rosenwald Schools and Black education. If you missed it, be sure to read about Mrs. Eula Gray and her impact on the education of Black schoolchildren in Hohenwald and Lewis County, and Robert E. Clay and his mission to improve public education for Black students throughout the state.

an old fashioned stove on display in a museum

Carroll County

Booker T

Buttorff Manufacturing Company Pot Bellied Stove

Cast-iron, wood heating stoves like this one were commonly used to heat Rosenwald Schools. Sometimes it was a student’s job to tend the fire and make sure the school was heated for class. This particular stove was made by Phillips & Buttorff Manufacturing Company in Nashville in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Learn more about student life in the "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee" exhibition, on display now through February 25, 2024.

an old fashion dress on display in a glass case with yellow and black trims

Civil Rights

Rockabilly Swing Dress

Bright Future

Black Kids

Gay Gibson Juniors Rockabilly Swing Dress from Memphis, 1950s

Rosenwald Schools served as centers for their communities and often hosted a variety of programs. Older students enjoyed attending dances and other events. This two-toned dress from the 1950s and featured in "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee" is an example of a swing dress, a popular style at the time.

an old black and white photo of a school building with a flag pole in front

School S

Dunbar Rosenwald School in Loudon County, Tennessee, 1923

The Dunbar Rosenwald School was one of two Rosenwald Schools built in Loudon County. Its large windows and sliding doors that allow it to be split into two classrooms were very characteristic of two-teacher Rosenwald Schools at the time. The school’s presence in East Tennessee shows that these schools were important in communities across all three of Tennessee’s grand divisions.

School Buildings

Theresa E. Blair, Teacher at Dunbar Rosenwald School

Theresa E. Blair taught at the Dunbar Rosenwald School in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was one of two Rosenwald Schools built in Loudon County. A graduate of Morristown College, Knoxville College, and Columbia University, Ms. Blair’s lesson plans show the large range of subjects she taught, including history and arithmetic. While the school buildings themselves were important, teachers like Ms. Blair were essential in communities across the state.

two men standing next to each other in front of a white wall with a blue sign that says tennessee state museum

Booker T Washington

African American Quilts

Photography Exhibition

American Children

Tennessee State Museum Winter 2023 Newsletter

The Winter 2023 edition of the Museum's quarterly newsletter is now available online. Read our cover story on Andrew Feiler's exhibition, "A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America," now on display, and how Feiler researched and captured the historic Rosenwald School structures, along with people associated with those schools.

an old black and white photo of children sitting at desks in a school room

Racial Segregation

Students in Interior of Cairo School, 1930s, Cairo, TN

In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the “separate but equal” principle of racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. However, Tennessee’s public schools for Black students received less funding than schools for white students, and had outdated textbooks and equipment handed down from white schools. Alumni of Rosenwald Schools recalled that their teachers made particular efforts to teach them about Black history, which was often not included in standard books issued by public school systems.

this is an old photo of men in suits and ties with the names of each members

Tuskegee Institute

Preachers and Educators of the National Baptist Convention, 1895 to 1915

Black leaders started some of the first schools for freedpeople in Tennessee during the Civil War. Local religious leaders played important roles in creating and sustaining schools. This print from our collection, “Some Leading Preachers and Educators of the Formative Period of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.,” 1895 to 1915, includes an image of Booker T. Washington, President of the Tuskegee Institute, who envisioned a building program for Black schools in the rural South.

a red plaid dress with the letters abc on it

Rosenwald School Dress, 1950s, Mrs. Cynthia Blair Ferguson

It's back to school time in Tennessee! This red plaid child’s dress (1950-60s) was made for Cynthia Blair Ferguson by her mother, Mrs. Mary Lou Blair, to wear for her first day of school. Ferguson attended the Dunbar Rosenwald School in Loudon, Tennessee. According to the archives at Fisk University, the “two teacher school,” constructed around 1923, was one of two Rosenwald Schools built in Loudon County. The dress is currently on loan to the Museum courtesy of Mrs. Cynthia Blair Ferguson.

two men in suits and hats walk down a sidewalk together, one holding his hand out to the other

African American Inventors

Tuskegee University

University Of Chicago

The University Of Chicago

Frederick Douglass

Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute, 1915

In 1912, Tuskegee Institute President Booker T. Washington formed a partnership with Sears, Roebuck President Julius Rosenwald. This led to a matching grant program for constructing modern public schools for southern Black students. By 1932, approximately 5,000 “Rosenwald Schools” were built throughout the rural South, including in Tennessee. Learn more with our newest exhibition, "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee" at the Tennessee State Museum.