The Fairview School has enhanced its historic campus with the addition of a new front and side porch featuring an accessible ramp, made possible through funding from the Rome Area Heritage Foundation (RAHF). With the grant, the school’s non-profit organization purchased lumber for Floyd County Corrections Center inmates to construct the needed improvements to the circa 1924 first-grade classroom building. The finished project was on full display at the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s recent Fall Ramble, where the Fairview School was featured among Floyd County’s distinguished historic sites.
Built as part of a historic partnership between Sears, Roebuck and Co. president Julius Rosenwald and educator Booker T. Washington, the Fairview School addressed systemic underfunding of rural African American education in the South. Located along Padlock Mountain Road in Cave Spring, it is the sole surviving Rosenwald-era school in this corner of the Peach State, with its restored first-grade building serving as the only remaining original structure.
“When we say it is an honor to partner with an organization that is so dedicated to historic preservation as our friends at Fairview — we truly mean that it is an honor,” said Don Walls, co-president of the RAHF board of directors. “One of the main reasons that RAHF exists is to help our community partners take historic preservation initiatives to the next level. Fairview has been a great steward of history and monetary resources, and we look forward with anticipation as they continue to live out a mission of restoration and adaptive reuse.”
After its closing in the 1950s, the four-acre campus suffered from years of neglect and deterioration, leading to the demolition of three of the four buildings. By 2009, the first-grade building was unrecognizable and covered in kudzu. After the formation of the Fairview-E.S. Brown Heritage Corporation, the building was later listed on the Georgia Trust’s Places in Peril list in 2011, bringing much-needed attention to the structure and beginning a new chapter to bring Fairview back to life.
“The Rome Area Heritage Foundation has been a most important partner in this quest to restore an all but forgotten 102-year-old site,” said Joyce Perdue Smith, chair of Fairview’s board of directors. “The interest of the RAHF has afforded Fairview the opportunity to be introduced to surrounding communities and potential supporters of the project, providing financial support through grants and donation requests, uplifting the property’s appearance with signage, and participating in our annual fundraisers.”
In 2017, the classroom building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Following a community-led fundraising drive that included advocacy and grants from individuals and organizations like RAHF, alongside partnerships with the City of Cave Spring and Fairview alumni, the restoration of the first-grade classroom building was completed in early 2019. In 2020, the Fairview School was honored by the Georgia Trust with its annual Excellence in Restoration Award.
“Over the years, Floyd County Corrections Center warden Mike Long has been an essential guiding force — extremely generous in providing labor for our construction projects,” added Perdue Smith. “Additionally, several grants, generous donors, many volunteers, and an interested community have made the restoration a continued success.”
The care and dedication shown by all involved to uphold a high standard of preservation resulted in a restored building that retains more than 90% of its original material. Restoration of this historically significant landmark will continue to tell the story of rural African American schoolchildren in the era of segregated education while actively contributing to the education of 21st-century schoolchildren.
The Fairview School celebrated its centenary in style with a 100th-anniversary gala in September 2024, and preservation work has continued since. The non-profit organization is now approaching the final phase of completing the $2.3 million project, designed by senior architect Joseph Smith, to position the campus to promote heritage tourism and partner with local school systems for educational opportunities that model STEAM programs. The master plan includes an outdoor classroom, historic garden, and visitor center, as well as the potential purchase and restoration of adjacent properties.
“Thanks to the stewardship and dedication of Fairview’s board, we know that this landmark will not only continue to serve as an impactful, sobering reminder of segregated education, but also as a tangible project of community development — an example of what happens when we unite with our time, talents, and gifts,” added RAHF’s Walls.
All proceeds raised from RAHF membership drives, business sponsorships, and signature events support local preservation initiatives like the grant program that funded the Fairview School project. Any organization in Floyd County seeking to preserve history and support historic preservation is invited to apply for funding from RAHF for eligible programs and projects.
To learn more about how to apply for a grant or support the work of the Rome Area Heritage Foundation, visit www.
