East Carolina Indian School 1944 - 1965

Added by: drowningbear78020In 1941, the state of North Carolina agreed to support an Indian school in Sampson County. Chapter 370 of the Public Laws of North Carolina, also known as the Indian School Act, was designed to provide educational opportunities for Indians in eastern North Carolina that had not previously been provided.

Added by: drowningbear78020The Indian School Act provided for the State Board of Education to "establish a vocational and normal school" at any place it deemed suitable. This act would lead to the creation of the East Carolina Indian Training School (Jackson, 2004).

Added by: drowningbear78020Indian leaders in Sampson County proposed to combine the student populations from Holly Grove and New Bethel into one school body.

Added by: drowningbear78020Governor Broughton appointed six trustees to manage the school with at least two being Indian.

Added by: drowningbear78020The Governor and State Bd. Of education were authorized to spend up to $10,000.00 the first year and up to $5,000.00 the second year for the establishment and operation of the school.

Added by: drowningbear78020Late in 1941, the County board empowered the superintendent of schools to begin looking for acreage to house an elementary school at New Bethel. Sampson County became the logical site of a new school as it contained the largest population of Indian students.

Added by: drowningbear78020Many of the recommendations contained within this Department of Public Instruction committee letter were not realized in subsequent years.

Added by: drowningbear78020Chapter 370 page 8

Added by: drowningbear78020Due to the dilpatated conditions of the old school house at New Bethel, the county and Indian leaders proposed a new site as the appropriate place for the regional Indian boarding school.

Added by: drowningbear78020The DPI committee believed that an elementary school should be built next to the new high school. Sampson county consolidated the students from Holly Grove and the old New Bethel site into one school building

Added by: drowningbear78020Much of the funding for the East Carolina Indian School would come from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Rosenwald made a fortune selling clothes and other merchandise to Sears and Roebuck.

Added by: drowningbear78020RosenwaldFund.jpg

Added by: drowningbear78020The State hired the Interstate School Building Service at Peabody College in Tennessee to draw up blueprints for two options for the new Indian School.

Added by: drowningbear78020The cost discrepancy between the two plans was substantial. The first plan would cost over $50,000.00 and would have been a state of the art building. Better than most white schools. Plan Two would cost around $15,000 but would still be a tremendous upgrade over the previous facilities.

Added by: drowningbear78020List materials and cost for plan one.

Added by: drowningbear78020Physical plan one consisted of twelve classrooms, a shop, auditorium, sewing room, library, bathrooms, and dormitories.

Added by: drowningbear78020After both original plans were rejected by DPI plan two was revised to include four classrooms, a science lab, home economics room, an office, bathrooms, and a book room.

Added by: drowningbear78020Despite the original estimates of $15,000.00 the ECI would cost over $23,000.00 to build. Not a large sum in context to white schools. But for the state and county it would leave a $10,000.00 debt. Despite serious delays in funding the school would be completed in the summer of 1944.

Added by: drowningbear78020Sampson County School Budget 1944-1945 page 1

Sampson County School Budget 1944-1945 page 2

Added by: drowningbear78020While the vast majority of teachers and administrators in Sampson County were white. The ECI school had several Indian's in positions of prominence.

Sampson County School Budget 1944-1945 page 3

Added by: drowningbear78020These budget sheets show who taught in the school, what certificate they held, their salary rates, and the grades they taught.

Sampson County School Budget 1944-1945 page 4

Added by: drowningbear78020Handwritten note also Includes New Bethel elementary school

Sampson County School Budget 1944-1945 page 5

Added by: drowningbear78020Denotes salaries of teachers, amount of days to be paid for, grades taught, and provides a good comparison between white and Indian pay scales.