Alumni unite to preserve Wilson County school, historic beacon of hope for Black education
LUCAMA, N.C. (WTVD) -- Springfield School, built in 1951 as a school for Black children during segregation, provided education to those denied equal opportunities.
Once a source of pride and a premier facility in North Carolina, it now sits abandoned, vandalized, and neglected. Alumni are now uniting to preserve the historic campus.
Located in Lucama on Springfield School Road, it was the first local high school for Black children, succeeding the Rosenwald School that only served children through the sixth grade.
Rickey Kirby, a 1968 graduate, said: "It was just the perfect place for me to be because I wanted to know everything."
Brenda Carter, another graduate, said her elementary school teachers made writing and arithmetic come alive.
"It feels so good to come back," Carter said, "like you are at home again."
In the '50s, Black families were excited to finally have access to a high school education; however, not everybody was happy about it in Wilson County.
It made headlines. The Wilson Daily Times publisher even wrote that "White folks should bring a lawsuit."
"There were some very negative comments about Black kids getting a brand new school," Kirby recalled. "Some person said, 'Why did they get a new school? They don't even know how to use indoor bathrooms."
Even with a new facility, the district only provided Springfield students with used and outdated books from all-White schools. Despite facing prejudice -- such as criticism over its construction -- Black students excelled, with Kirby later serving in the Marines.
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Carter said there was a sense of pride that came with being a Springfield Wildcat.
"I looked forward to coming to school because it was you get the leave home, come play with your friends, and you learn something different every day," she added.
In the 1970s, the school was integrated and became a middle school. High school students later attended Rock Ridge School. The school later closed in the 1980s.
Carter bought the property from a construction company. He and Kirby joined forces after Kirby shared a similar vision of creating opportunities for his rural hometown.
"It has so much potential, and it's in a community where there's no arts," Kirby said.
With experience in general contracting, Kirby enlisted his daughter's help to establish the nonprofit Springfield Community Center for Arts, Education, and Civil Rights Legacy. The group aims to raise awareness of the history and crowdfund donations to support the project.
"A nice, safe space for kids and people of really all ages to come in, to be creative and to learn and to enjoy community," said Chandler Kirby, Rickey's daughter.
The group plans to include multipurpose spaces, a cafe, a youth esports arena, and a makers space.
"The hope for this space is that we bring it back alive, have people to come in and learn different things, and just have some for the community, " Carter said.
"I think it sets a precedent for other rural areas," Chandler said, "as well to be more intentional about providing things that aren't necessarily just the basic needs."
The project seeks to preserve history while building a new beacon of hope for future generations.
