A tarp covers part of the roof of an abandoned building on Route 623 in Charles City County. Underneath the tarp, clear plastic drapes a weathered window, perhaps to further shield the decaying wood structure from elements endured nearly 110 years.

Bricks and cinderblocks are the foundation for the building’s wobbly steps and landing. An open door next to the entry reveals a small pile of abandoned firewood. A “No Trespassing” sign hangs on another door.

Inside the building are exposed beams and pieces of sheetrock littering the floor. A lone church pew sits in the rear on one side of the structure.

When the Mt. Zion School, formerly known as the Mica School, opened in 1915, firewood was used to warm the one-room schoolhouse that educated African-American students in grades one through five.

Funds to build the school included a contribution from philanthropist Julius Rosenwald.

Inspired by Booker T. Washington, the renowned Black author, educator and leader, Mr. Rosenwald wanted to change the racial disparities in education. He formed the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which brought educational opportunities to African-American and rural communities in Southern states between 1917-1932. The

Mt. Zion School was built with a contribution of $450 from the local Black community, $300 from the public and $250 from Mr. Rosenwald, according to records from Fisk University.

About 20 students attended the school per term, said members of the Historic Mt. Zion School Foundation of Charles City. The group is raising money to restore and preserve the schoolhouse.

During a meeting last October at the neighboring Mt. Zion Church, several foundation members shared their memories of the school and its teachers.

Over the years, Mt. Zion school had two prominent teachers, Hattie Wallace and Mamie Edloe, along with other assistant teachers, said James Marrow, the president of the board of trustees for the Historic Mt. Zion School Foundation of Charles City.

Back then, their teachers “had no problem” disciplining their pupils, including corporal punishment if necessary, the foundation members recalled.

“She didn’t play,” said one foundation member. “From day one you respected her. But we were taught to respect our elders.”

Mr. Marrow said that he, his mother and siblings were taught by Ms. Edloe.

“(Ms. Edloe) taught my sisters and my brothers. I was the last one to come through,” added Sylvia Christian, the foundation’s grant writer. “I was the baby in the family. She taught me in second grade.”

Other members in attendance, recalled having to “make our own fun,” during recess by raking leaves, jumping rope and playing kickball.

Despite having second-hand desks and books with missing pages, Mt. Zion’s students were engaged and learned.

Eventually, the Mt. Zion School and other one- and two-room schoolhouses were “discontinued” by the Charles City County School Board, said Nancy Phaup, coordinator of archival collections at the Richard M. Bowman Center for Local History in Charles City. The Mt. Zion School was officially discontinued in June 1951, but it could have been closed as early as 1949.

Students were transferred to Ruthville High School, which had an elementary school component, Ms. Phaup said.

After Brown vs. Board of Education outlawed segregation in the 1950s, and integration ensued in the decades after, these one-teacher schoolhouses were slowly repurposed into community centers. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which is across the street from the school, used the Mt. Zion School for functions such as club meetings, cookouts, fish frys and fundraisers, said Hancy Hatchett, a deaconess at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Charles City County Public Schools officially integrated in the late 1960s, about a decade after Mt. Zion shut down, Ms. Phaup said. Over the years, many of the tiny schoolhouses were abandoned and left to deteriorate, despite their historical significance. This is the case with the Mt. Zion School.

“It’s been in a period of decline,” Mr. Marrow said.

In an effort to preserve one of the three remaining Rosenwald schools, the Historic Mt. Zion School Foundation of Charles City is working to get the schoolhouse on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation as a historic site will ease the grant application process, Mr. Marrow said.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources approved the preliminary application form, which is an indication that the process will go well, Ms. Phaup said. The department is expected to render its decision to the Historic Mt. Zion School Foundation of Charles City by May 2024.

Mt. Zion alumni have gotten into the act. Nine former students congregated at the schoolhouse in 2021, around the same time the Historic Mt. Zion School Foundation of Charles City was established, to share memories and discuss the ways their beloved school can stay intact. The foundation meets on the second Sunday of each month to stay updated, Ms. Christian said.

“I think this school has been long overlooked,” Ms. Christian said. “We still have [community] members that attended that schoolhouse. They are very much interested in keeping it within the community like it was built. It means more than just renovating the building.”

Fundraising intensified in the last quarter of 2023, Ms. Christian said. An estimated $250,000 is needed to restore the school, she said. The foundation began repairs to the roof and covered the windows to prevent further damage, costing around $1,000, Mr. Marrow said. Other repairs needed include flooring and bathroom renovations.

Foundation officials said the schoolhouse needs to be “presentable” before the group can move forward with other plans, making restoration of the schoolhouse structure a top priority.

After restoring the school, the foundation hopes to use it as a place of tourism with “a lot of history inside,” like a museum, Ms. Christian said. The foundation also wants to create a website to complement the schoolhouse.

Ultimately, the foundation hopes to add on to the schoolhouse and have it function as an education or community center, Ms. Christian said.

“There’s so much rich history behind it. We want to use it as an educational platform; not just for the community, but for everyone,” she said.

Caroline Reinhart contributed to this article.