St. Paul's School
Also known as: St. Paul's Chapel School; 012-5010
Why it's listed
Set in a grove of pine trees beside Interstate 85 and State Route 644 in rural Brunswick County, this one-room school was completed in 1920 to serve African American children. Built of wood frame with unbeaded weatherboards, a standing seam metal roof and a rubble-stone foundation, it measures about 20 by 40 feet. Six large south-facing windows lit the single classroom, and a cloakroom and small workroom adjoin it. Pine beaded board still covers the interior walls and ceilings. Funding of $1,500 combined $300 from the Rosenwald Fund, $450 from the African American community and $750 from public sources. It was the only one-room school among the 13 Rosenwald-supported schools in the county and dates from the Fund's early years, when it was administered from Tuskegee Institute. Ownership of the land was disputed in the 1940s and 1950s. The school closed in 1960, sat vacant for four decades, and is now being restored as a museum and cultural center.
Significance in brief: The school is tied to the education and ethnic heritage of Brunswick County's African American community (Criterion A). It is also an important surviving example of the early years of the Rosenwald Fund's rural school program, when the Fund was still run from Tuskegee Institute and before standardized plans (Criterion C). It was the only one-room school among the 13 Rosenwald-supported schools in the county.
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 04000037, listed June 4, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Brunswick Dr. at I-85, Meredithville |
|---|---|
| County | Brunswick County |
| Listed | June 4, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000037 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Ca. 1917-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school closed in June 1960 and stood vacant and disused for over 40 years; it has since been purchased and is being restored, with plans for use as a museum and cultural center. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 36.82508, -77.95847 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 04000037.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713250
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.