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Historic Black schoolhouse in rural Tennessee finds a new home

A former schoolhouse for Black children in rural Tennessee was moved to a new location in downtown Franklin, just south of Nashville. (Kris Rae/Heritage Foundation of Williamson County)
A former schoolhouse for Black children in rural Tennessee was moved to a new location in downtown Franklin, just south of Nashville. (Kris Rae/Heritage Foundation of Williamson County)

In the first half of the 20th century, schools were racially segregated. To address the inequities, a Jewish philanthropist named Julius Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington to create thousands of schoolhouses in the rural South for Black children. One of the buildings in Duplex, Tennessee, was recently moved to the city of Franklin.

As Char Daston of Nashville Public Radio reports, the plan is to restore it and open it to the public as a historic site.

The school building will be restored and opened as a historic site. (Kris Rae/Heritage Foundation of Williamson County)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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