Teacherage History – Early 1900s – 2014

An extraordinary project is underway in the charming Town of Red Oak, North Carolina, a unique initiative that will showcase the town’s rich agrarian heritage and strengthen the community – the renovation of the Red Oak Teacherage.

The establishment of high schools early in the 20th century was an important educational advance, but it benefitted only a fraction of North Carolina’s school-age youth, most of whom lived in rural areas without access to schools.

To provide educational opportunities to underserved rural students, the General Assembly authorized farm-life schools in 1911. If a local government provided facilities in the amount of $25,000, then pledged $2,500 for operating expenses each year, the state would match the latter amount.

Red Oak was the second school in North Carolina to apply for and receive funds from the General Assembly to establish a public high school. In 1914 a farm-life school was established in the town. (Nash County Historical Notes, 1976). It was the second farm life school in North Carolina.

Local farmer Jesse Thomas Jones donated 25 acres of land, and the community voted for an additional $10,000 in bonds for building the Red Oak Farm-Life High School. Local students paid no tuition, but boarding students paid $12.50 per month. The boys cut wood for fires, and the girls cooked and waited on tables. Crop rotation, contour plowing, selection of nutritious foods, and improved homemaking practices were emphasized along with the academic curriculum. (H.G. Jones, 2006, ncpedia.org/farm-life-schools)

A number of structures were built on the campus, including boys’ and girls’ dormitories, a cannery for learning how to preserve food, and a shop for woodworking, but the girls’ dormitory is the only original building that remains.

The girls’ dormitory was later converted to a teacherage for single female instructors who taught at Red Oak School. In the late 1950s, the building was converted to four apartments for married teachers. In the 1980s the Nash County Board of Education sold the building to a private owner who continued to rent the apartments.

The Town of Red Oak acquired the building in 2014 and conveyed ownership of the property to the Red Oak Area Historic Preservation Society (ROAHPS) in 2017, which received 501(c)(3) designation in February 2017.

The Red Oak Teacherage is a 10,000 square-foot, two-story structure located on Red Oak Road across from Red Oak Elementary School. Today, fundraising is underway to repair and renovate the Red Oak Teacherage as a business and civic centerpiece for the Town of Red Oak.

RENOVATION MASTER PLAN

The Red Oak Area Historic Preservation Society (ROAHPS) has engaged the services of Dunn and Dalton Architects, P.A. from Kinston, NC, a group experienced in the renovation of historical buildings. Their proposal for phased Schematic Design services for the first floor of the Teacherage was received and has been approved by the Board of Directors.

More information will be added later.

Construction of a new roof is scheduled to begin in June, 2025