The Thomas Jefferson Elder High and Industrial School, at 316 Hall St. in

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, Washington County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 5,912 at the 2010 census. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersv ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1981. It is a

Rosenwald school The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the part ...

built in 1927. It competed in the

Georgia Interscholastic Association The Georgia Interscholastic Association (GIA), formed in 1948, was a sports league of high schools serving African Americans in Georgia. It merged into the Georgia High School Association with desegregation in 1970. '' As If We Were Ghosts'' is a ...

. It has an H-shaped plan and is the surviving building of a larger school complex. The site includes the graves of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Elder. Its National Register nomination states its importance:

The Thomas Jefferson Elder High and Industrial School is significant as being an authenticated Rosenwald Plan School with an intact H-plan and original interior and exterior finishes. One of the Rosenwald Fund's goals was to improve public education for Southern blacks by assisting in building model schoolhouses. In education, the school is significant as the oldest remaining school building in the county. It was built on a site associated with the county's education since 1889. It pioneered the manual arts (vocational) training and trained other teachers under the leadership of T.J. Elder. In social-humanitarian history, it is significant for the
Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...
's efforts to improve education in the South. This building was erected with the help of the Fund in 1927-28, although the majority of the costs came from local public support and city funds. It was the Fund's goal to support local school systems by requiring that local funding exceed that of the Fund. In this case, donations in the amounts of $1 to $250 were collected from both blacks and whites. In black history, the school is significant as the manifestation of the efforts of Thomas Jefferson Elder (1869-1946). With

It has also been known as the T. J. Elder Elementary School.

References

Rosenwald schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Schools in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Georgia School buildings completed in 1927 1927 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) {{GeorgiaUS-NRHP-stub