ROWESVILLE, S.C. — The Town of Rowesville is planning a school monument ceremony in honor of its former schools that were a staple in the town's history.
“Rowesville is what I like to say is tomorrow’s world with a little southern charm to it," said Mayor Paul Bishop.
Bishop says the Rowesville Graded School and the Rowesville Rosenwald School were once in the town's limit but closed down years ago.
Town council has created a monument to those schools and is planning a ceremony to commemorate it.
“It’s imperative that each school district realizes, I mean the school district realizes what effect closing a school down has on the community," said Bishop.
In 1916 the town opened its first school called the Rowesville Graded School. The last bell rang in 1953.
The town's first black school called the Rowesville Rosenwald School was built in 1920. This was a part of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald's initiative to build quality black schools throughout the south at that time with the help of a grant in his name.
That school burnt down in the 1970's.
“His rabbi stated, with property comes responsibility. So in turn he financed a lot of schools for the minority communities in the south as long as the community would build it," said Bishop of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald's schools.
Bishop says the town is voting on the date of a dedication ceremony that would take place in April. The official date is being decided in Monday night's council meeting.
“If we don’t support our history, and if we don’t remember the struggles and strides of our forefathers, then where is that going to lead us into the future?”