The Town of Carrboro plans to implement a historical ‘truth plaque’ at the former Freedmen’s School site.

The goal of these ‘truth plaques’ is to recognize Carrboro’s history with the purpose of uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past.

This will be the town’s second truth plaque – the first of which was placed in front of town hall – explaining Julian S. Carr’s ties to racial segregation. When that historical truth plaque commemorating Carrboro’s namesake was unveiled in April of 2019, the town’s Truth Plaque Task Force already had plans to install more within the community.

Now, the task force will mark the site of the historic Freedmen School on Main Street. Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said Freedmen’s was a local school created for the areas black community that opened following the Civil War.

“It’s kind of our second truth plaque, but this is one recognizing the general area where the Freedmen’s school stood from 1866 to 1917,” Lavelle said.

The location of the marker will be on the St. Paul AME Church side of the street near the “Carrboro” welcome planter. Tom Tucker, Owner of the Carolina Car Wash, and former Carrboro Mayor Ellie Kinnaird had previously approached the town with the request to honor the former Freedmen school location site. The land that the church and car wash currently sits on was once purchased by Green Cordal and Benjamin Craig for the school.

“So the plaque is going to be on the St. Paul property – and we thank St. Paul very much for letting us put the plaque on that property – but it’s part of the piece of property that actually extended all the way over to where the car wash was and the buildings on that side of the road also,” Lavelle said. “All of that land in there is where the Freedmen’s school and the church was built and that schoolhouse served essentially hundreds of free black children and adults.”

According to the town, the final text of the plaque will read, “Green Cordal and Benjamin Craig, freed from bondage, purchased this land for a Freedman School and church. With funds from the Society of Friends, they built a schoolhouse that served hundreds of free Black children and adults.”

The town’s resolution states that an unveiling ceremony with the community will be held as soon as the plaque is finished and it is safe to do so.

For more information on Carrboro’s Town Council, and what was discussed at their latest meetings, click here.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
White House Orders a Review of Exhibits at Smithsonian Museums Ahead of Nation’s 250th Birthday
Ahead of the country’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump aims to align the museums' content with his interpretation of American history.
New Street Names and Business Loans: Carrboro Town Council's January 30 Meeting
The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, January 30 to address several agenda items, including changes to street names and loan policies.
DeSantis Is Defending New Slavery Teachings. Civil Rights Leaders See a Pattern of ‘Policy Violence’
Written by STEVE PEOPLES, BRENDAN FARRINGTON AND KAT STAFFORD Civil rights activists cheered when Ron DeSantis pardoned four Black men wrongfully convicted of rape as one of his first actions as Florida’s governor. But four years later, as DeSantis eyes the presidency, their hope that the Republican would be an ally on racial justice has long faded. Instead, […]
With 'Universities Studying Slavery' Conference, UNC Tackles Its Own Troubled History
UNC's "Universities Studying Slavery" conference will focus on how colleges can wrestle with their own troubling racial history.
Social Media Tracking Tool, Used By UNC, Raises Speech and Privacy Concerns
Concerns about free speech and privacy rights have been raised around a social media program that UNC has used to monitor protests.
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Celebrates Juneteenth With Motorcade Event
The Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities were among many which celebrated Juneteenth this weekend. Held for the first time as a federal holiday, one of the local events was a motorcade through historic Black communities in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Collection of UNC Faculty Call for Chancellor Guskiewicz's Resignation Over Silent Sam Settlement
UPDATE: This story has been updated with statements from UNC, which were issued to the campus community and sent to Chapelboro. A group of UNC faculty is calling for UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz’s resignation as more details emerge regarding the university’s involvement in the 2019 settlement over a Confederate monument previously on the Chapel Hill […]
UNC System Settles Lawsuit With Daily Tar Heel Over Silent Sam Secrecy
The UNC System settled an ongoing lawsuit with the parent company of the Daily Tar Heel newspaper over potential open meeting law violations on Monday. The settlement, announced by the Daily Tar Heel, concludes a lawsuit filed in January 2020 by the DTH Media Corp. against the university system, its Board of Governors and individual […]
Report: Charges Dismissed for 2 Accused of Helping Take Down Silent Sam
Two of the remaining people facing charges in the toppling of the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam saw their charges dismissed by the court system this week. According to a report from The News & Observer on Wednesday, the charges for Raul Arce Jimenez and Shawn Birchfield-Finn were dropped due to the local court system working to […]
Town of Carrboro To Unveil Second 'Truth Plaque,' Acknowledge Unjust Past
The Town of Carrboro plans to implement a historical ‘truth plaque’ at the former Freedmen’s School site. The goal of these ‘truth plaques’ is to recognize Carrboro’s history with the purpose of uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past. This will be the town’s second truth plaque – the first of which was placed […]
›