This collection contains materials and documents (1893–1990s) relating to the history of Pitt County, North Carolina Schools, highlighting especially the era of segregation. Includes Registers (1893-1920); football pamphlets (1969–1978) for J.H. Rose High School; Statement of Funds Needed Provided by Pitt County for both "Colored" and "White" schools (1916-1917); a letter (1924) from G.R. Whitfield, Supervisor for "Colored" schools; scrapbooks, scrapbook materials, and news clippings (1970s–1990s) for Third Street School, C.M. Eppes, Greenville Middle School, Agnes Fullilove School and other Pitt County schools; building specifications (1968-1973) related to Pitt County Schools; John Edwin Scoville Memorial Cups (1923-1928).
The history of education and school systems in Pitt County, North Carolina begins in 1787 when the North Carolina General Assembly chartered the Pitt Academy. In 1880, when Governor Thomas Jarvis (1836-1915) won reelection, he actively supported establishing a system of county superintendents' certification, standards of examination for public school teachers, and lists of recommended textbooks. These initiatives and Jarvis's service as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Greenville's Graded Schools system helped to establish a graded school system in Greenville, North Carolina. While Thomas Jarvis was the head of Greenville's Graded Schools, he appointed C.M. Eppes (1858-1942) to lead Greenville's "Colored" Schools system in 1903. C.M. Eppes is accredited with expanding educational opportunities for African Americans and generating a sizeable growth in the amount of African American students and teachers in Greenville, North Carolina. There were two separate school systems in Pitt County until 1986, Pitt County Schools and Greenville City Schools. Each system was also divided by race. Significant strides toward full integration of Pitt County schools did not happen until around 1970 when a federal districts court found that Pitt County schools were racially segregated. When the two school systems merged to form the Pitt County Schools System in 1986, it consisted of 30 schools and today, it consists of 38 schools.
J.H. Rose High School was established in 1957 on South Elm Street, Greenville, North Carolina. The student body of J.H. Rose after its opening consisted of the students that previously attended Greenville High School. Greenville High School was built in 1903 and was the first "White" public high school in Greenville, North Carolina. J.H. Rose High School was named after Junius Harris Rose (1892-1972). Rose was the Superintendent of Greenville City Schools from 1920 to 1967.
This collection contains materials and documents related to the history of Pitt County, North Carolina Schools. It consists of 6.06 cubic feet and 11 boxes. The materials and documents date between 1916 to the 1990s. The bulk of the items in the collection date from the era of segregation and during the start of desegregation in Pitt County Schools. The collection includes football programs pertaining to J.H. Rose High School, news clippings relating to J.H. Rose and other Pitt County schools, Statement of Funds Needed provided by Pitt County for 1916 to 1917, correspondence (1924) from G.R. Whitfield to teachers, Operation Headstart information (1965) and statistical report for Greenville City Schools for 1960 to 1961. It includes scrapbooks from Third Street School, C.M. Eppes, and Greenville Middle School. As well as documents related to Pitt County Schools buildings and facilities.
The Pitt County, N.C., Schools Historical Records collection is organized into 5 series. Series 1: Sports-related Material includes J.H. Rose High School football programs (1969-1978) and some of the opponents were high schools in New Bern, Rocky Mount, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, and Farmville; J.H. Rose football schedule and results (1977); and newspaper clippings related to J.H. Rose football (1975). Series 2: Administrative Information includes Statement of Funds Needed provided by Pitt County for both "Colored" and "White" schools (1916-1917); a letter from G.R. Whitfield, Supervisor of "Colored" School, to the teacher giving instructions about re-teaching about "past conditions and the life of Lincoln" (1924); Operation Headstart Information (1965) and a statistical report of the Greenville City Schools (1960-1961); and Outstanding Teacher Awards (1969, undated) from various Pitt County Schools, such as Farmville Public Schools, G.R. Whitfield School, and Winterville High School. Series 3: Scrapbooks and Articles includes "Vietnam Port of Call" scrapbook pages (undated) from C.M. Eppes, school ephemera (1976, undated) and news clippings (1974-1995) related to Agnes Fullilove School and other Pitt County Schools, unknown school construction and Ground-Breaking photographs (1977, undated), "Battle of the Books" photographs (1995), scrapbook materials and negatives, Third Street School scrapbooks (1986-1989), C.M. Eppes Scrapbook (1992-1993), and Greenville Middle School scrapbooks (1978-1989). Series 4: Planning and Policy Documents includes a document about a metal classroom building (1968) from J.H. Rose High School, Pitt County Board of Education Facilities Report (1971), Facilities Use Study- Building and Grounds document (1973) for all Pitt County principles, and a document about Long-Range Building Needs (1973) for Pitt County Schools. Series 5: Artifacts include two John Edwin Scoville Memorial Cups (1923-1928), one for boys and one for girls.
Additional materials transferred from Manuscript Collection #0708:Pitt County School Registers includes a small amount of correspondence from Pitt County teacher Ella May. Also included are May's biographical information that concerns her teaching positions (1896-1920) and her second-grade teaching certificate (1899). Additionally, bound public school registers for white children in various school districts in Pitt County, including Greenville, Beaver Dam, and Contentnea Townships, are found in Serie 2. Registers (1898-1899, 1899-1902, 1896-1904, 1906-1907, 1911-1912, 1915-1916) include teacher names, salaries, textbooks used, attendance records of students, general statistics on students, guardian names and occupations, district numbers, and the names of school committee members.
One register (1906-1907) contains a short history of work done to beautify school grounds and classrooms; a strategy to obtain books; details of school closure due to a chicken pox epidemic; literacy rates among student guardians; a standard book list by grade; and reasons for non-attendance. Another register (1915-1916) has references to "basket" and "shadow" parties; the local "Round Table Club"; installation of a coal heater and "sanitary privies"; "moon light school" program; school room names; building repairs; school rules and regulations; and a public library.
Other items include school census records and reports, class schedules, a health inspection certificate with genealogical information concerning James H. Meeks, and miscellaneous items. There is also a photograph of a summer school class from Greene and Pitt counties (nd).
June 14, 1995, 23 items, 6 volumes; Pitt County, NC, public school registers (1896-1916) for schools in Contentnea and Greenville townships, along with monthly reports, correspondence, and miscellany. Gift of Mr. & Mrs. William E. Elmore, Greenville, NC.
June 15, 1995Photograph of summer school group of Pitt and Greene counties, North Carolina teachers (undated). Gift of Dr. Samuel P. Cash, Greenville, NC.
September 30, 2019, (unprocessed addition 3), 17 cubic feet; This addition of late 1960s to early 1970s material includes correspondence to and from Superintendent of Pitt County Public Schools Arthur S. Alford; audit reports and budget materials; planning and policy documents; Board of Education minutes and reports; papers related to the number of students, athletics, driver training, and suspensions and expulsions; and annual reports. Gift of Steven Anthony Hill.
Gift of Steven Anthony Hill
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. William E. Elmore
Gift of Dr. Samuel P. Cash
Processed by Lydia Brooker, Feburary 2025 Additional Processing Completed by Patrick Cash, June 2025
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.