{"nrhp_refnum":"00001615","name":"Princeville School","other_names":["Princeville Graded Colored School","Princeville Town Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"US 258, 0.3 mi. E of NC 64","address_restricted":false,"city":"Princeville","county":"Edgecombe County","state":"NC","lat":35.890267305000066,"lon":-77.52672930999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-01-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story weatherboarded frame school building on the south side of US 258 (Mutual Blvd) in Princeville, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, built between 1935 and 1940 and later used as the town hall.","why_significant":"It served as the elementary school for Princeville, the first municipality incorporated by African Americans, for about twenty-five years. It is a largely intact example of the plain frame schools built for Black children across the South, adapted from Rosenwald Fund standard plans though not funded by that Fund. Its original plan, ceilings, floors and chalkboard survive.","narrative":"Built between 1935 and 1940 on the south side of Mutual Boulevard in Princeville, North Carolina, this one-story weatherboarded building served as the town's elementary school until 1960. Princeville was incorporated in 1885 and is regarded as one of the first African American towns incorporated in the country. The school stands on the site of earlier segregated schools, the last of which was condemned as a firetrap. Although no Rosenwald Fund money paid for it, its eleven-bay form, recessed entrance and three-classroom plan adapt the Fund's published community school designs. A high brick pier foundation responds to repeated Tar River flooding, and exposed rafter tails give a modest Craftsman touch. After 1960 it became the town hall, gaining a fire station and a Head Start addition. Flooding from Hurricane Floyd in 1999 stripped away later finishes and revealed original floors, ceilings and a slate chalkboard. Restoration for local history exhibits is planned.","period_of_significance":"late 1930s-1960","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other: Craftsman-influenced","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Vacant and not in use; the town government has moved to a new town hall, and the building is being restored after Hurricane Floyd flood damage in 1999, with plans for local history exhibits.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:53.085588-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/7201/47720142/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/00001615.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720142","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeville_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7245038"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/edgecombe-county/princeville-school-00001615/"}