This grant will fund the rehabilitation of the vacant historic mary potter school shop building to serve the public as a multi purpose community and literacy center funds awarded will be applied…

The National Park Service awarded $500,000 under the Historic Preservation Fund Grants-In-Aid program to the National Mary Potter Club Inc. to rehabilitate the vacant Mary Potter School Shop Building in Oxford, North Carolina. Funds will support work to install HVAC, plumbing, electrical and an elevator in the existing interior space. Upon completion by August 2025, the building will serve the public as a multi-purpose community and literacy center while also functioning as a tourist attraction highlighting the struggle for civil rights and African American communities in Granville County. The former vocational building taught skills in home economics, typing, shorthand, carpentry, welding, masonry, farming and other trades.

This grant will fund the rehabilitation of the vacant historic mary potter school shop building to serve the public as a multi purpose community and literacy center funds awarded will be applied toward work in the existing interior space HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and elevator installation the building will also serve as a tourist attraction highlighting the struggle for civil rights and highlight african american communities in granville county and the mary potter school story the former mary potter academy high school vocational building taught students home economics, typing and shorthand, carpentry, welding, masonry, farming, and other vocational skills