Longstreet Rosenwald School
Longstreet Rosenwald School | |
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  | |
| Location | Along Louisiana Highway 5, about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) in Keachi, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Longstreet, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°06′36″N 93°56′50″W / 32.11000°N 93.94722°W |
| Area | 6.3 acres (2.5 ha) |
| Built | 1924 |
| NRHP reference No. | 09000546[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 22, 2009 |
Longstreet Rosenwald School (1924–1969)[2][3] was a two-room Rosenwald school for African American students in Keachi, DeSoto Parish, and near Longstreet, Louisiana.[4] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 22, 2009, for educational and African American history.[5][6][7] It briefly was called Longstreet High School in later years,[3] and is now known as the Longstreet Rosenwald School Community Center.
History
The Longstreet Rosenwald School was built in the 1923–1924 school year at a total cost of US $2,350, with the Rosenwald fund providing $700; the local African American community raising $1,250; and $400 provided from public sources.[5] It offered classes between grade 1 through grade 8.[5] The Longstreet Rosenwald School was only public elementary school for African American students in the area, between 1924 to 1959.[5] It had been part of the Longstreet School District.[8]
In the 1943–1944 school year, the enrollment was 81 students (between all grades), and had two teachers.[5][9]
Closure and modern usage
After the school was remodeled by 1965, the Rosenwald building was used as a school auditorium and additional buildings added to the surrounding property to form "Longstreet High School".[2][5][10] The campus was closed by the DeSoto Parish School Board in 1969, for issues with bussing students long distances and a decline in local population.[3] By 1970, the school district was integrated.[8]
The state of Louisiana built 393 Rosenwald schools between 1914 and 1932, and as of 2009, only 3 buildings survive (Longstreet Rosenwald School, Plaisance School, and Community Rosenwald School).[5] In 2001, the former school building was leased for use as a community center,[11] now the Longstreet Rosenwald School Community Center.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Longstreet Rosenwald". The Interstate Progress. September 15, 1966. p. 3. Retrieved August 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "School Board Closes Longstreet High, Grand Cane Community Schools 1969". The Interstate Progress. August 27, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Longstreet Rosenwald School". Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hutcheson, Scott (June 10, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Longstreet Rosenwald School". National Park Service. Retrieved August 9, 2025. With accompanying pictures
- ^ Turner-Neal, Chris (August 30, 2021). "In Search of a Rosenwald School". 64 Parishes. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ "Longstreet Rosenwald School". NPGallery, Digital Asset Management System.
- ^ a b "DeSoto Integration Plan Speeds Mixing to Feb. 1". The Times. January 27, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Williams, J. E.; State Supervisor, Negro Education (July 1944). Public Schools for Negro Children, 1943–44 Session, Bulletin No. 534. Louisiana State Department of Education.
- ^ "DeSoto Parish School Board Minutes". The Interstate Progress. August 11, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved August 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "School targeted for community center". The Times. July 18, 2001. p. 11. Retrieved August 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.
