School Planning Building Photographs

The Department of Public Instruction School Photographs digital collection includes a sample of photographs from the Department of Public Instruction, School Planning Section, School Photographs Files. Photos document school conditions and construction efforts in African American communities across the state ca. 1918-1955. The photographs depict construction, newly completed schools, and older structures that reveal the inadequate learning conditions Black North Carolinians endured in the early 20th century. Numerous schools were constructed with assistance from the Julius Rosenwald Fund.

Many of these structures are not documented among the photographs in the Rosenwald Fund archives at Fisk University and no longer survive. Students, teachers and other school personnel, residents, contractors and builders, though rarely identified, are occasionally pictured.

The School Planning Section of the Department of Public Instruction, initially known as the Division of Plans and Buildings, sought to assist “public schools, architects, and design teams in the planning and design of high-quality school facilities that enhance education and provide lasting value to the children and citizens of North Carolina.” In the course of that work, the School Planning Section collected extensive photo documentation that was eventually deposited in the State Archives of North Carolina.

Many early photographs were collected by other divisions within the Department of Public Instruction, including the Division of Negro Education (DNE). For more information and related records, visit African American Education.

We strive to make North Carolina Digital Collections as accurate as possible. If you find any errors, please contact us at archives.webedit@dncr.nc.gov.