Rural Initiative Project, Inc.

The Allen Grove Rosenwald School & the 4-H Rural Life Center

By Angelo Franceschina 

Edited by Judy Cardwell & Keshia Horn

If you read Stephanie Duetsch’s article on the Allen Grove School, you can feel her passion about Cary Pittman who constructed the Allen Grove School in 1921 along with 30 other Rosenwald Schools.  I place Cary Pittman’s achievements with Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington as one of the most respected persons in the history of Rosenwald schools in North Carolina.  What makes the Allen Grove School special is that it is located on the 4H Rural Life Center.  The Center is over 300 acres and has a historic building in the County Home which is the edifice of the campus and two other buildings with potential for National Register status; a children’s playhouse and a 1901 farm house.  This does not include the Allen Grove School which is listed as eligible for the National Register. 

When I first visited the Allen Grove School I saw over a 100 young children actively involved in agricultural educational programs and recreation.  There was even a group of kids using the school for a class.  I was greeted by Joe Long of Agricultural Extension who has much passion about the Rural Life Center as I have about preserving Rosenwald Schools.  Joe designed the concept of a rural site were young people can experience “hands on agricultural education.”  The Life Center also provides senior citizen day camps, rodeos, preschool nutrition programs, an amphitheater, hosting harvest days and an agricultural museum.  Even with all the programs of the Rural Life Center, the buildings and site have been underutilized and their maintenance deferred, not for lack of commitment but a struggling economy.  Even with the struggles the agricultural education for the youth continues on.  

In my first visit I realized the restoration of Allen Grove School would be more than just preserving a part of our history, but the integral piece that can stimulate the revitalization of the Rural Life Center.  The Allen Grove School is in a visible location and its restoration could bring new energy to the Center.  Plans are being developed to restore it so they can continue using it for agricultural education. I would imagine that Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington would be honored by the passion that Joe Long and others have shown in their commitment to preserving the value education. 

The preservation of the School is vital to the growth and improvement of the Life Center.  The center for agricultural development in Halifax County is a place where farmers, wholesalers, retailers, producers and educational institutions can meet and discuss how to improve farming techniques and how their product can be better marketed.  A library has started but it needs to be expanded to include information that can assist the local growers and farmers.  Let’s not forget it needs to be a place where the community can continue to meet, socialize, plan programs and activities such as community gardens.  It is especially important for the many not just for the Allen Grove School alumni, but all of the lost Rosenwald Schools alumni, to preserve the memories and the legacy. We cannot forget what they have done for Halifax County.

©2011 Angelo Franceschina

Preserving Yesterday’s Memories for Today’s Generation

By Angelo Franceschina

The culmination of over four years of hard work for the Red Bank Community happened on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 9:30 am, the historic Red Bank School was moved to its new home at Horizon Park.  The project started when Randall Crews contacted Forsyth County commissioner Beaufort Bailey and myself, President/CEO of the Rural Initiative Project Inc.  Numerous community meetings were held over the following years which resulted in the plan of moving the school from the path of a logging operation to a new home, in Horizon Park and raising funds to pay for moving and restoration. This allowed for the school to stay within the Red Bank Community.  

Beaufort Bailey, in his usual “gracious and persistent manner,” was able to encourage fellow commissioners to provide the new home and contribute donations for the school once it moved to Horizon Park.  The County also provided storage trailers for materials, and helped to clear the site.  The generous gifts were approved by the County Commissioners on Tuesday, May 25, 2009.  The county’s support and approval once again jumpstarted the movement that resulted in a wave of fund raising to save the historic Red Bank School. 

The Red Bank Community formed a non-profit corporation Save Historic Red Bank School Inc. (SHRBS) under the leadership of president Toby Cranfill.  The residents provided much of the labor to clean out and stabilize the site and school, while fundraising to pay for a mover to move the school.   As an example, one of the residents, Brice Oakley, used his farm equipment to dig out the site to pour the concrete footers.  

“If your grandpa taught there wouldn’t you want to do something about it,” said Nora Cranfill, wife of Save Historic Red Bank School Inc. president Toby Cranfill.  The success of preserving the Red Bank School is contributed to the Red Bank Community which rallied to save the history and legacy of their community.  Red Bank is a rural community composed mostly of farmers, growers, long term landowners and many had direct ties to the school.  They were either descendants of the founding committee, or their ancestors went to school there.  

The Red Bank School will be renovated as it was in 1881: completely void of technology (no heat, no electricity, no air conditioning, etc.).  This is to show what it was like to attend school with conditions well below the standards of today.  The plan is to make the school a visitor and educational learning center were residents and children from the community and surrounding areas can learn about their past.

Like any other community project, the preservation of the Red Bank School was not done in a self-contained bubble but as partnership with other organizations.  It could not have happened without Forsyth County under the leadership of Commissioner Bailey and  County Manager Dudley Watts, who took the mantel of his commissioners and made it happen.  The Winston-Salem Foundation saw the strength in the leadership and the “Social Capital” in the Red Bank community made two grants toward the school’s restoration once it is moved.  Most important, the Red Bank community and the board of directors SHRBS was the leader from the beginning. It was their school; they wanted to preserve; and they did what was necessary to make the preservation come to fruition.

©2011 Angelo Franceschina

Meet the Team: Angelo Franceschina

Angelo Franceschina is our fearless leader.  He was born in Italy, he moved to Canada and then ended up in Indianapolis.  It was there he would obtain an Associate’s degree in Architectural Technologies, a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Urban Planning and, finally, a Master’s in Urban Planning.  He has extensive experience with all types of community development and preservation of historic buildings.  Angelo has exceptional skills at fundraising for operations, restoration and community activities.  He is a believer in the need for revitalization of distressed areas, especially those containing sites of historic significance.

As President of Rural Initiative Project, Inc., he has been apart of many jobs all over the Southeastern United States.  Some of the work he has done are listed below. 

• In 2007 expanded to assist projects throughout North Carolina and 2009 expanded to the southeast, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia to assist with the preservation of Rosenwald schools.  
• Assisted with the rehabilitation of 25 single family homes and developed 147 units of affordable housing utilizing low income and historic credits; Villa Trace in King 48 units, Elkin Chatham Woods former hospital 30 units, Randleman former high school 30 units, all elderly housing. Madison former black school 39 units of family housing.  
• Restored three historic Schools; Walnut Cove, Oak Grove and Old Richmond raised all of the funds and partnered with Dan River Prison Work Farm among other public partners. The Walnut Cove School a 5 teacher funded under the Rosenwald Fund circa 1921 is now Stokes County only certified Senior Center and received one the 12 National Honor Awards in Los Angeles from National Trust for Historic Preservation. 
• Assisting with the Restoration of Warren County Training School (6.5 acre campus) and the R.A. Clement School in Rowan County, Castalia Rosenwald School and Spring Hope in Nash County, Greene County Training school in Greene County and Princeton Training School in Johnston County all Rosenwald Schools. 
• Assisted with the preservation of the nationally significant Shiloh Rosenwald School in Macon County Alabama. 
• Assisting with the Restoration Old Bethania School the oldest high school in Forsyth County, a contributing building to the Bethania National Landmark district.       
• Prepared the successful application to the National Trust for endangered buildings status for Rosenwald Schools in 2004.  
• Successfully secured six Lowe’s charitable Trust grants for the preservation of Rosenwald Schools. 
• Assisted with the preservation of the Porch Building a five teacher in Louisburg, that was constructed by returning WW2 veterans on the campus were a Rosenwald school once stood, owned by the Franklin School system.  
• Received the largest grant from the city of Winston-Salem, $750,000.00 under their Revitalization of Urban Commercial Area Program, to assist businesses, building owners in Waughtown with building improvements and area public improvements.    
• The Rural Initiative is the oldest and longest surviving CDC in Forsyth County and surrounding regions of North Carolina. 

Angelo is also a frequent presenter at Historic Preservation and National Trust Conferences.  Not to mention, he has received national recognition for his work on Rosenwald Schools in the Southeast.  

In Angelo’s free time, he manages to umpire baseball games all over North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.  He is an Eagle Scout and used to umpire for tennis matches.