PRESS RELEASE
ACWORTH, GA (May 12, 2023) – The City of Acworth celebrated the re-opening of the Acworth Rosenwald School Community Center with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
The Acworth Rosenwald School was built on School Street in Acworth in 1924. Rosenwald Schools were part of a partnership between Julius Rosenwald (Sears Roebuck and Co.) and Booker T. Washington that brought schoolhouses to children in Black communities throughout the segregated South in the early 1900s. Acworth’s Black community contributed $700 towards the cost of the school. Rosenwald matched the $700, and the Cobb County Board of Education provided a further $1,850. The school building was slated for demolition by the Cobb County Board of Education in 1948.
Dismantled by volunteers, each timber and board were numbered, the nails were removed and straightened, and roofing shingles were stacked and stored. In 1953, the “Community House”, as it was known to residents, was rebuilt on Cherokee Street where it stands today. The Acworth Rosenwald School is used as a community center and has served as a vital part of the Parkside District in this capacity to this day.
The Rosenwald School Renovations were made possible by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and included structural improvements to the flooring and roof, removing drywall to expose the original beadboard of the facility, and repairing the original windows. Restrooms and a catering kitchen were also reconfigured and updated. The City of Acworth is incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this happen. Speaking at the event were Mayor Tommy Allegood, Dr. Frank Johnson Jr. from Zion Hill Baptist Church, Kimberly Roberts from Cobb County CDBG Program, Trevor Beemon from Cobb Landmarks, Chairwoman Lisa Cupid from Cobb County Government, and Alderman Tim Houston.
For more information on the Acworth Rosenwald School and rentals of the facility, please visit Acworth Parks, Recreation, and Community Resource Department’s website at acworthparksandrecreation.org.
You May Also Like…
Hickory Flat Park Public Input Meeting
The Gallery Series: Dot & Jack Douglas
The Gallery Series: Carolyn Smith Galt
The Gallery Series: Byron Dobbs
