This southeastern North Carolina all African
American school was established to educated the children of former slaves and their descendents. The school--a
part of Edney Chapel Primitive Baptist church-- opened their doors for the first time
in the fall of 1879, after three former slaves and local White citizens worked together to provide a location for the
school.
The developement of the land deed, to meet specific
requirements from the African American leaders and their local citizens, took seven years. Commencing before
1872, final land deed papers were "Probated" into the local Onslow County Court House, in Jacksonville, N.C, in the fall of
1879.
The developement of the school, based on family
oral history and official documents suggest George Washington Petteway, former slave, was the primary force behind the
formation of the Edney Chapel school. He later became a "Minister of God" and served within the Edney
Chapel Primitive Baptist Church that he also acted as the driving force behind its development. He died in 1902,
during a breakout of Yellow Fever.
Before Jack started his research, the history
and evolution of the Edney Chapel Primitive Baptist Church and school, both in operation by ca.1879, had been missing from
the annals of local, regional, and state history books.
With Jack's help a new interest between
all of the citizens of the local communities has sparked a surge of support to protect these vital but, under-documented
parts of the heritage of the local African American families.
Edney Chapel Primative Baptist Chapel has never
closed its doors since ca.1879. The original chapel was severly damaged during a hurricane but, Mr. Odell Petteway,
the grandson of George Washington Petteway, Founding Father, has taken the remainging pieces of the chapel and placed them
into a safe storage area. Services are now being held within a structure built by the grandson on the original
Hallow Grounds as the first. Odell is the remaining Deacon of the Edney Chapel.
Please stop in for Sunday services...everyone
is welcomed.
Edney Chapel School operated from the fall of
1879 to 1952, when the local school systems, due to National and local political influences, caused the small African American school
to close its doors.
You must ask yourself after reading this...how
many children were taught at a young age, went through the doors of the Edney school? How many people
heard the word of God within the modest Edney Chapel Primitive Baptist Church since ca.1879?
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If you know of any official document or photographs of these
two buildings, or any of the other research projects Jack is currently working on, please contact him. With your assistance
we can save a vital part of the local African American heritage of southeastern North Carolina.
To remind you, Jack is now associated with a
"Not-For-Profit." He is conducting extensive research and doing all of the actual phyiscal labor involved in all
of his projects, especially dealing with preserving the cemeteries he has been intrusted. He is continuously receiving
information from local citizens which he is extremely grateful.
Since Jack is now associated with a "Not-For-Profit" organization
(I.A.C.P. Inc-Florida), he is hopeful people will see the importance of correct preservation techniques through qualified
individuals will be needed to save official material and the Hallow Grounds that he is working to preserve---for our future
generations.
Jack is proud to state that he is the sole cemetery caretaker
for each of his preservation projects. He has exclusive and sole copyrights to his research. Jack has
entered into agreements with all key members involved in his ongoing research of the southeastern North Carolina history.
Each of his projects will be considered "privately researched," exclusively conducted by Jack.
Jack will share his findings, as appropriate, with local citizens,
families involved in the research project but, more importantly, he will help to educate the general public and children about
a part of their local history. He will develop his findings into book form during the spring of 2009 and the publication
will be available to be purchased by the general public for a modest price.
Thank you.
