OKAHUMPKA, Fla. — After years of fundraising and community determination, restoration efforts are officially underway at the historic Rosenwald School in Okahumpka, a symbol of Black education during segregation in Lake County.

(The Schoolhouse was in desperate need of a renovation. It will now go through four months of renovations to restore the schoolhouse to it’s former look. Photo Credit – Okahumpka Community Club.)

Built in 1930 with funds from Sears CEO Julius Rosenwald, the two-room schoolhouse was part of a nationwide effort to educate African American children in the segregated South. For more than 30 years, the school served Black students in the area, operating separately from nearby white schools.

(For over 30 years the schoolhouse served the black community as an education center and continued to serve as a community center until 2003. Phot0 Credit – Rosenwald Fund Archives.)

In 1961, the building was repurposed into a community center, continuing its role as a gathering place for local residents. However, by 2003, the facility had closed its doors and sat vacant for decades, battered by hurricanes and harsh Florida summers, exposed without doors or windows. Despite the elements, the wooden structure endured—just as many of its former students did.

(The interior of the school will be renovated. There is almost nothing original left of the classrooms, but if you close your eyes, you can imagine being in that same spot in the 1930’s and how much this space meant to the black community.)

In 2021, the school was added to the National Register of Historic Places, marking its historical and cultural significance. Since then, local leaders and supporters have raised more than $450,000 to restore the building. Renovations are expected to take about four months, with completion projected by late July or August.

Once restoration of the original schoolhouse is complete, construction will begin on a new community center behind it. The restored school will stand at the forefront as a monument to resilience, education, and the lasting legacy of the Rosenwald initiative. Having served its original purpose, it will take on a new role in educating the community further about the challenging times during it’s 30 year history as a schoolhouse.

(When finished, the schoolhouse will once again be an education center, however this time as a museum piece educating future generations of students and community members of what happened here. Photo Credit – Okahumpka Community Club.)

We are thrilled to see this project happening and look forward to seeing the fully restored schoolhouse in the coming months.