(upbeat music) - Hi, my name is Jahiem Fisher and I was born and raised right here in the town of Cape Charles, Virginia.

(upbeat music) Here we have one of the area's greatest treasures, Cape Charles Elementary, also known as the Rosenwald School.

(upbeat music) If you've never heard of a Rosenwald School, let me tell you a little bit about them.

Rosenwald Schools have been called the most important initiative to advance Black education in the early 20th century.

About 5,500 Rosenwald Schools were built nationwide between 1917 and 1932, mainly in the south, for the purpose of educating Black students.

The schools were the brainchild of two men, Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee University, and Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist who was part owner and president of Sears and Roebuck.

- Julius Rosenwald gave Booker T. Washington seed money to go around to the segregated south to help build these schools.

The community had to do their part to get the schools built.

- Economists credit their efforts for creating a new Black middle class in the south.

(upbeat music) So just to start off, what was it like attending this school?

- Well, the education yes was wonderful.

It was a wonderful experience.

First thing that happened in the morning when you got here, you went right into the auditorium where they had prayer, pledge allegiance to the flag, read scriptures, and then you went to your classes.

- You haven't been in here in- - I haven't been here in a long time, 61 years.

- And this would be all the books present in the school?

Right here on this shelf.

- Yes.

- And as well be the principal's office.

- The magazines.

The principal's desk was over this way.

- [Jahiem] It wasn't the best location with a dump located behind the school and a long walk passing by the whites-only school to get here.

- My mother walked me up to the school the first day.

Then the next day I walked back home by myself 'cause you know, she try to teach me to be independent.

- [Jahiem] So did the school not provide you guys with transportation to the school and from the school?

- No, we did not have buses.

When it was raining we always rode the cab.

It cost 10 cents to ride the cab to the school.

Sometime your neighbors that had a car would give you a ride, just saw you walking or whatever.

And when we got in here was always real nice and warm 'cause they had radiated heat.

I have such wonderful memories.

I can remember myself up on that stage doing plays.

I can remember my graduation.

I can remember dancing at noon hour after I ate my lunch.

Man, what a good time.

(upbeat music) - My father made a contribution, put the sidewalks down in front of the school.

- Your father laid these sidewalks here?

- Here's the name right here.

Put the steps up there too.

Now, right around the corner here, the back corner, is where we had a hand pump.

- A hand pump?

- Yeah.

And it was right around back there.

And then somebody would hold their hand under the mouth of the pump and they'd get water.

- That's how y'all got water?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - This is the composition book that we had.

Yeah, this is fourth grade and this is 1959.

For recess we would go outside and they had the basketball goal.

You had the place where we played softball.

And then of course, you had dodge ball and all those.

Right in front of the school, places where they played the marbles.

- So, what are we looking at here?

- This is one of the May Days that we actually had.

We did dress for the wrapping of the May pole, so that's what this is for that particular day, the wrapping of the May pole.

But regular, as students we wore whatever.

- Whatever you wanted?

- Yeah.

But not dropdown pants.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- We were decent and in order.

Now, this is a picture of me.

Okay, this is our graduation.

I had to give the class history when I graduated.

- And this is the dress in the photo?

- This is the dress that I graduated from Cape Charles Elementary School in.

- Now, you kept this one right, over at your house.

- My mother.

- Your mother kept this.

- This was at my mother's house, yeah.

- Cape Charles Elementary School opened about 1930 and educated Black students here in Cape Charles for 36 years.

- If it was not for the Rosenwald Schools, that initiative, we wouldn't have been really educated.

We got some things, but to open it to all African Americans that was a blessing because that's all we had during that time.

So that did have a great impact on the education of our young people.

- Cape Charles Elementary School eventually closed in 1966 when North Hampton County schools consolidated.

I'm Jahiem Fisher.

(upbeat music)