{"nrhp_refnum":"05001139","name":"Princeton Graded School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"601-611 W. Edwards St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Princeton","county":"Johnston County","state":"NC","lat":35.469970000000046,"lon":-78.16821999999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, six-classroom brick Rosenwald school at 601-611 West Edwards Street in Princeton, Johnston County, North Carolina, built in 1925-1926 for African American children, with a 1952 cafeteria/classroom building and a small cemetery on the grounds.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school meets Criterion A for education and Black ethnic heritage, as one of ten Rosenwald-aided schools built in Johnston County and one of only two surviving. It served as an educational and social center for the African American community from 1925 to 1955. It also meets Criterion C as an example of Rosenwald school architecture, and the grounds include a cemetery used for Black burials.","narrative":"Princeton Graded School is a six-classroom brick school built in 1925-1926 on West Edwards Street in Princeton, Johnston County, North Carolina. Its H-shaped plan has an auditorium in the central section, large grouped windows for natural light, and a shed-roof porch with Doric-style posts. It follows Rosenwald Fund Plan No. 6-A, though the county chose brick veneer instead of wood. Local African American citizens petitioned for the school and were required to contribute $1,000 in cash. J.P. Rogers of Smithfield built it. It was one of ten Rosenwald-aided schools in the county and one of two that survive. A 1952 cafeteria and classroom building stands beside it, and a small cemetery on the grounds was used from 1934 to 1960-1961 for burying African Americans excluded from the town cemetery. The school served the community until the mid-1950s, closed by 1973, and now stands vacant.","period_of_significance":"1925/1926-1955","architect_builder":"Rogers, J.P. (Smithfield, N.C.), Builder","architectural_style":"Other: Rosenwald School","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present function is listed as vacant; the school closed by 1973. The eastern section of the 1952 building has had its roof, ceilings and windows removed in an asbestos abatement program.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:53.459695-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7209/47720982/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/05001139.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001139/a7de2fab48-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001139/a7de2fab48-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princeton_Graded_School.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princeton_Graded_School.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47720982","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_Graded_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19987681"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/johnston-county/princeton-graded-school-05001139/"}