McCray School
Why it's listed
McCray School is a small one-room schoolhouse on N.C. 62 in northern Alamance County, built in 1915-1916 for Black students. Landowner Albert Graham agreed to provide the land, and carpenter Andrew Nash and neighbors built the frame, gable-front building with weatherboard siding and a porch. The county Board of Education took ownership in 1919, and a rear addition was built in 1925 when enrollment reached sixty. The school had no plumbing, and a wood stove supplied heat. It closed in 1951 when students moved to a consolidated school, then served as a community center until an oak tree destroyed the addition in 1981. High school vocational students and residents restored it in 1983-1984, and a museum is planned. The nomination values it as the best-preserved example of its type in rural Alamance County, reflecting the separate and often underfunded schooling available to rural Black communities.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the best-preserved early twentieth century one-room school built for Black children in rural Alamance County, and one of only two such schools remaining. It is typical of the facilities that served the county's rural Black population from about 1869 to the mid-twentieth century. It also embodies common architectural features of North Carolina one-room schools.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86003438, listed December 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW side of NC 62, S of jct. with SR 1757, Burlington |
|---|---|
| County | Alamance County |
| Listed | December 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003438 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1915/16) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; built by Andrew Nash, a local carpenter, and community volunteers |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied, with a proposed museum; restored by vocational students in 1983-1984 after the 1925 rear addition was destroyed in 1981. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 36.18042, -79.37967 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86003438.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17560792
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.