Rosenwald Recreation and Community Center

In the 1930s African Americans in Bedford County formed clubs and raised funds to build a better high school for their children, and in 1936 purchased two lots of land for the site. But before construction could begin on this land state and local government built a new high school. Subsequently, in 1946 the donated funds were used to build the Rosenwald Recreation and Community Center for the African Americans. Continued: The Julius Rosenwald Fund, which built thousands of schools for African Americans, did not contribute to this community center’s construction, but the structure reflected the design of Rosenwald Schools. The Community Center has been used for kindergarten classes, tutoring, art classes, family festivals, food distribution, and a Headstart program to promote school readiness. The Rosenwald Center continued to serve the community into the 2000s, and in 2024 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.