One of the oldest black school buildings in Mecklenburg County is now preserved for educational purposes.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An exhibit telling the story of Charlotte’s past opens this weekend at the Charlotte Museum of History.
Siloam School, which dates from the 1920s, was restored after an eight-year effort to raise $1.2 million for its preservation.
The Save Siloam School project is funded entirely by the community and will be relocated to the Charlotte Museum of History in September 2023. The school had been abandoned for many years in the Mallard Creek area, and the museum aimed to preserve and restore it for educational purposes.
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Siloam School is one of the oldest black school buildings in Mecklenburg County.
In the 1920s, rural black communities in the South invested in the education and futures of their young students by building a school called the Rosenwald School during the era of segregation.
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Terry White, director and CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History, told WCNC Charlotte that people who come to see the newly restored school will be transported back in time.
“Our goal is to bring people back to what they were meant to do,” White said. “1924, new school year, brand new school building. What would it have been like to walk in there and come to learn? It was a Mallard Creek neighborhood school, so it would have been a very exciting moment.”
Take a look inside the historic Siloam School
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On Saturday, June 15th, from 12-2pm, the museum will host a grand opening event for the restored Siloam School, with volunteers and historians on-site to lead tours.
The Charlotte Museum of History is also open and offers free admission to all ages.
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