Echoes from the Sandhills

Series 4 - Echoes in Action

Echo 14 - The Men Behind the Schoolhouse

"Shall Negroes Be Appointed?"

It is a startling headline to modern eyes.

Published in the County Union on July 26, 1899, the article was not asking whether African Americans should vote or hold political office. It was asking whether Black men should be appointed to help oversee the education of Black children in Harnett County.

The question itself reminds us that even community service could become controversial during the era of segregation.

Yet behind the debate stood a remarkable group of local leaders whose contributions have largely been forgotten.

They were known as school committeemen.

More Than a Title

North Carolina law provided for township trustees to divide the county into school districts and appoint three school committeemen for each district. The County Union explained their responsibilities plainly:

"The committeemen appointed by them have charge of the schools in their respective districts, employing teachers and looking after the interests of the school."

That single sentence tells us just how important these men were.

They did far more than attend meetings.

They hired teachers.

They advocated for their schools.

They represented the educational interests of their communities.

They became the bridge between county government and the families whose children depended upon those schools.

For African American communities during the Jim Crow era, their role became even more significant.

When public funding fell short—as it often did—it was often these local leaders who organized neighbors to repair schoolhouses, gather supplies, raise money, and encourage attendance. Later, many would become partners in the Rosenwald School movement, helping secure land, organize community labor, and raise matching funds that brought new school buildings to rural communities.

They were not simply administrators.

They were community builders.

A Public Debate

The same newspaper that described the duties of school committeemen also revealed that their appointments had become the subject of public debate.

According to the article, a question had arisen in Averasboro Township over whether African Americans should be appointed as committeemen for Black schools. The editor answered by reminding readers that township trustees were to appoint separate committeemen for white and Black schools and argued that Black schools should be managed by Black committeemen.

Reading the article today is fascinating.

Its language reflects the paternalistic and segregated thinking of its time, yet it also acknowledged something important: Black communities needed trusted local leaders responsible for their own schools.

The editor concluded that if Black citizens were entrusted with managing their own schools, they should be allowed to do so.

One week? One year? No—this debate did not occur in isolation.

Just a few years earlier, another editorial asked, "Whither Are We Drifting?", expressing concern over the increasing civic participation of African Americans.

History answered that question not through editorials, but through the faithful service of the men who accepted these responsibilities.

The Men Behind the Schools

A 1911–1912 report of the Harnett County Public Schools preserves many of their names.

Anderson Creek Township

A. B. Brinkley, H. W. Washington, Isaiah Barney, G. W. Maynor, S. G. Williams, R. S. Ray, Sandy McLean, Joe Harris, Tobie McNeill, Curtis Elliott, John McGregor, Jacob Furgison, George Ray, Henry Ray, and C. F. McLean.

Hector's Creek Township

Freeman Blalock, Charles Hicks, Lewis Stewart, W. H. Cofield, Hubbard Judd, and Edward Major.

Johnsonville Township

A. A. Rone (Roan), Stephen McRae, Nathan Mallett, D. J. McGregor, Boston Chalmers, and Bill Hailey.

Lillington Township

Anson Bailey, J. H. McLean, Stephen McKay, Gus McLean, Joe McNeill, and Mack McDougald.

Stewart's Creek Township

James McNeill, R. B. Smith, Robert Maynor, Parker Covington, George Smith, George Hill McLean, Sonnie Smith, Robert Harris, French Williams, Gus McNeill, Sandy McDougald, and Jack McLean.

Upper Little River Township

Sam McLean, Sam McKay, Jno. Brewington, B. F. Buie, Sam McDougald, J. A. Yarboro, Jim McLean, Sandy Douglas, L. C. Harrington, N. A. McLean, J. A. G. McNeill, and Sandy Smith.

Today, they are little more than names printed in an annual report.

But those names represent men who accepted responsibility for the education of children throughout Harnett County.

Lucy Herring Found Partners, Not Rivals

Decades later, when Lucy Saunders Herring began serving as Harnett County's Jeanes Supervisor, she recalled that some of the school committeemen initially viewed her with suspicion.

They believed she had come to take over one of their responsibilities.

Now, the newspaper helps us understand why.

These men were not ceremonial officers. They were responsible for employing teachers and looking after the interests of their schools. It is understandable that they would question the arrival of someone whose role they did not yet fully understand.

Fortunately, those concerns did not last.

Lucy earned their confidence, and together they became partners in improving Black education throughout Harnett County. Their shared goal was never about titles or authority. It was about giving children the best education possible.

More Than Names on a Page

One of the great rewards of historical research is discovering the people whose quiet service helped shape a community.

These school committeemen rarely appear in history books.

They were not famous politicians or celebrated educators.

They were farmers.

Tradesmen.

Ministers.

Businessmen.

Neighbors.

Men who believed education was worth their time, their effort, and their leadership.

The newspaper asked whether they should be appointed.

History has answered.

For generations of children across the Sandhills, they helped keep schoolhouse doors open, supported teachers, advocated for better education, and strengthened the communities they served.

Their names deserve to be remembered.

Perhaps one of them belongs to your family.

If so, I'd love to hear their story.