Merritt School

Merritt School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Location	Old Troy Rd., 0.5 miles south of U.S. Route 82, near Midway, Alabama
Coordinates	32°04′29″N85°32′03″W / 32.07472°N 85.53417°W / 32.07472; -85.53417 (Merritt School)
Area	less than one acre
Built	c.1922
Architect	Samuel L. Smith
MPS	The Rosenwald School Building Fund and Associated Buildings MPS
NRHP reference No.	98000110 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 20, 1998
Designated ARLH	November 2, 1990 [2]

The Merritt School, also known as the Old Merritt School and Midway Community Center, is a historic building and former two-room Rosenwald School for African American students in Bullock County, Alabama, United States, that was built around 1922.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998; ^[1] and the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1990. ^[3] It also has a historical marker erected 1998 by the Bullock County Historical Society and the Alabama Historical Association. ^[4]

History

The 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land for the school was sold by Margaret Elizabeth Merritt in 1921 for US $5 to the state of Alabama. ^[3] The Merritt School building was designed by architect Samuel L. Smith's, following his own book Community School Plans (1924), a one-story frame building, built to standard Design No. 20 and No. 20-A for a two-teacher Rosenwald school. ^[3] It was modified in c.1935, and in c.1946. ^[3]

The local African American community raised $1,000, the State of Alabama contributed $800; and the Rosenwald Fund contributed $800 to build the school structure. ^[3]

The heirs of Elizabeth Merritt sold adjoining lands for $1.00 to the State of Alabama in the 1960s, so they could modernize the school. ^[3] The Merritt School continued to be used for educational purposes until it was renovated in 1978. ^[3] It is now a community center. ^[5]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "ALABAMA REGISTER OF LANDMARKS & HERITAGE" (PDF). ahc.alabama.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
3. Jeff Mansell; Trina Binkley; Susan Enzweiler (February 16, 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Merritt School". National Park Service . Retrieved July 6, 2018. With accompanying seven photos
4. "Old Merritt School Midway Community Center Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
5. "Old Merritt School in Midway". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved August 12, 2025.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .