National Register of Historic Places

Lee County Training School

Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina
Listed
December 28, 2000
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00001551

About this property

Lee County Training School, also known as the W. B. Wicker School, is a historic school building located at Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina. It is a one-story brick building dating to 1927 with additions in 1934 and 1949. The building is characterized by large windows alternating with pilasters and was built by contactor A.L. “Link” Boykin, a leading member of Sanford’s black community. Construction funds were provided in part by the Rosenwald Fund, conceived in the 1910s by Southern black leader and educator Booker T. Washington. The Rosenwald schools were built across the south for black Americans in the early 20th century. It served as Sanford and Lee County's African American high school until it was decommissioned as a high school in 1969. Until the year 2019, classes for grade school were last held at the school in the late 1980s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The W. B. Wicker School is one of the oldest educational institutions in Lee County with almost a century of history behind its doors. Under leadership of William Bartelle Wicker, this school allowed African American children a to get an education during the years of segregation, Jim Crow, desegregation and through the late 60s post-segregation era. It was during this time that the school was re-named from Lee County Training School to W.B. Wicker in recognition of William Bartelle Wicker's dedication and perseverance in providing quality education to the students of Lee County. In 2001, Brick Capital Community Development Corporation (CDC), Lee County, the City of Sanford, and a local community Advisory Group worked together to restore the school. By November 2006, the revitalized school became the W. B. Wicker Business Campus and was home to Central Carolina Community College's Lifelong Learning Center, a four-star childcare center, and the Sanford business suites. From 2006 to 2018, Brick Capital CDC owned and managed the W. B. Wicker Business Campus. In 2018, Lee County purchased the W. B. Wicker School from Brick Capital CDC in order return it to the Lee County Board of Education and transform it into an elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) school. The school revitalized three historic parts of the Wicker main campus- the main building, auditorium and gymnasium and expanded the school with a new building. With these additions, the school now holds a population of over 900 students.

Location

806 S. Vance St.
Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina
35.47390, -79.18248

Categories

EDUCATIONBLACKARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Temple Theatre
Industrial
0.5 mi
Downtown Sanford Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Listed
0.5 mi
Railroad House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Rosemount-McIver Park Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
Seaboard Milling Company
Industrial
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lee County Training School listed on the National Register?

Lee County Training School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Lee County Training School?

Lee County Training School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lee County Training School?

The period of significance for Lee County Training School is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lee County Training School?

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