Central Agricultural School
It began in 1912, Booker T. Washington, President of Tuskegee Institute, approached Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, with an idea for a pilot program that was to have a dramatic impact on the face of America. Washington's idea led to the creation of the Julius Rosenwald Foundation. This foundation provided partial funding for the construction of more than 5,300 buildings in 15 states, including schools, teachers' houses and shops that were built by and for African Americans. They shared a commitment to self-help as well as a firm belief that education could improve the lives of black Americans in the rural South.
The initial building plans were developed by design students and staff in the Tuskegee Institute mechanical industries and architecture program. This unique group of architectural structures provided shelter for the education of thousands of African American children.
John S. Jones, a native of Smoke Bend, a community north of Donaldsonville, was the Rosenwald Agent responsible for the development of over 400 schools built in Louisiana. This building was moved from St. James Parish in 2001 by the River Road African American Museum.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Rosenwald Schools to its list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002. Many of the buildings have been abandoned or remodeled beyond recognition. This building is one of the only four-room wooden schools remaining in the United States.