Monday, April 7, 2008

Rosenwald Schools

More than 5,300 Rosenwald schools and auxiliary buildings were constructed between 1912 and 1932. A recent article in USA Today, Partnership to preserve places of black opportunity
notes the historical significance of these schools. The article also highlights a joint initiative by National Trust for Historic Preservation and Lowe's to restore 17 Rosenwald schools, including two schools (Gallatin and Pikeville) in Tennessee.


Image credit: Ingram Rosenwald School (Tennessee State Library and Archives)

Early 20th Century Schoolhouses
(TeVA, Tennessee State Library and Archives) includes a selection of photographs of Rosenwald schools and other rural schools in Tennessee. Interested in learning more about Rosenwald schools? Check out Mary Hoffschwelle's book, The Rosenwald Schools of the American South (University Press of Florida, 2006).

40th Anniversary of Martin Luther King's Death

The Memphis Commercial Appeal's excellent web site, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1968, includes the newspaper's stories and photographs from 1968 that document the sanitation worker's strike, King's assassination, memorial service, and efforts by the National Guard to restore peace.
Volunteer Voices includes 75 photos from the 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike collection (University of Memphis Special Collections), as well as a several documents related to the assassination of King.