Historic 1-Room School Started by A.M.E. Zion Minister Holding Fundraiser

I am Mary Neely Grissom, retired educator and President/Executive Director of the Historic Neely School Foundation. I am proud to share these chronological events of the historic Neely School.

 

In 1908, my grandfather, Julius Erastus Neely courageously founded the Neely School in China Grove, NC near Salisbury. Julius was the son of a slave. As a farmer, carpenter, a shrewd businessman and A.M.E. Zion minister, he and wife Katie recognized the importance of educating his family as well as the African American community in China Grove.

 

In the early 1900s, it was illegal for African American children to attend school or learn to read and write. Reverend Julius Erastus Neely took matters into his own hands. He risked everything to build a school to educate his family and his community.
The Neely family funded the school’s construction on their property, supplemented by donations from family and friends of both races. The school started in a pack house loaned by a neighbor and during construction other family members provided other makeshift buildings used as temporary schoolhouses. In 1910 the 1-room Neely School house was completed and officially opened.

While the Neely School was embedded deep in the backyard of the Neely home, it was a long walk to the schoolhouse for the children who were as young as five years of age. Even though it was on the Neely property, the building could be seen from the road. During that era, Julius knew that any form of educating African Americans was not accepted, and that alone was dangerous for the students. While they were learning, he sat on the front porch of his home with a rifle across his lap, daring anyone to come on his property and bring harm to the children who deserved to learn how to read and write in a safe environment. This amazing school educated approximately 1,300 students (including me) before the local school system started providing schools for African Americans in 1948.

In 2010, my cousins and I, all Neely School alumni, decided to see if the school was still standing. When we found it in a dilapidated state, we decided that we wanted save and restore it.

 

We incorporated the Historic Neely School Foundation in 2010 as a 501c3, non-profit organization and we began raising money to fund the school’s restoration and preservation.

In 2015, after moving the school from the deep wooded area to a roadside location, we reopened the restored school.

 

 

In 2017, the Neely School was designated as Rowan County’s 5th Historic Landmark. In 2017, we also wrote a book, Little School in the Woods, to chronicle the family roots, school usage, and school restoration.

We are currently developing the remainder of the site as a Neely Community Center, including a small building with air, heat, electricity, bathrooms, a picnic shelter, a nature trail to the original school site, and a playground.

On July 20, 2024, we will host a fundraising gala to celebrate the 150th birthday of Julius Erastus Neely and honor the continuation of his vision for his legacy. Proceeds from this event will benefit the ongoing maintenance and growth of the Historic Neely School.