Cove Creek High School, Sugar Grove, North Carolina
Posted by: 
PersonsMD
N 36° 15.756 W 081° 47.128
17S E 429442 N 4013361
Quick Description: The rock building on the banks of Cove Creek was built by local citizens as one of the last WPA projects in the 1940's, under the FDR administration's "Second New Deal"
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2008 2:38:19 AM
Waymark Code: WM5EQ5
Views: 5
Long Description:The rock building on the banks of Cove Creek was built by local
citizens as one of the last WPA projects in the 1940's, under the
FDR administration's "Second New Deal" - a massive employment
relief effort established after The Great Depression of the 1930's.
The rocks for the school were "harvested" from a nearby farm,
with the mortar mixed from sand from the creek. The former Cove
Creek High School/Elementary School had been replaced by new
schools and the old building was at risk of ruin. CCP&D was
formed and had the site designated "Historic" and began renovations
to restore the building to its original condition. The old
cafeteria has recently been completed to serve as the "Red Raider
Community Room", restored down to the old brick tile floors.
Not only has CCP&D preserved and developed this old school,
but in doing so, our annual fundraiser, MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove,
has served to preserve our mountain musical heritage and celebrate
the diversity it has inspired. "Cove Creek", as our community is
known, has been a place for local and regional musicians to gather
and share their talents with one another for many decades.
MusicFest allows that opportunity to continue. The beautiful rock
building now houses three non-profit entities: the Jung Tao School
of Classical Chinese Medicine, the Doc and Merle Watson Folk Art
Museum, and Sugar Grove Developmental Day School.
the following was sited from: (visit link)
The Old Cove Creek High School building is a WPA-era rock
structure that is a treasured landmark in the rural Cove Creek
community. The school closed in 1995 and CCP&D was incorporated
in 1996 and granted a 501(c)3, with the goal of preservation and
utilization of the 28,000 sq. ft. Old Cove Creek High School
building and the adjacent 3,640 sq. ft. brick structure for
community service. The building was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places on 6/18/98. A structural evaluation (completed
8/98) determined that the building was basically sound, but was
deteriorating internally from expansion and contraction of the
interior structure due to temperature extremes from no heat in the
building, and from moisture damage resulting from leaking plumbing
and improper drainage. The Watauga County Commissioners leased the
building to CCP&D for 25 years (for $1/year). The Appalachian
Regional Commission (USDA) for economic development granted
CCP&D matching funding ($199,250) in 2000 to install a
geothermal HVAC. The Janirve Foundation provided a $75,000 matching
grant. Skyline Telephone loaned $60,000 and the Watauga County
Commissioners loaned $225,000 for 5 years at no interest to enable
the restoration process to continue in a timely manner. Matching
funds were raised via the annual Doc Watson MusicFest which began
in 1998. In 2005, the event name was changed to MusicFest 'n Sugar
Grove.
CCP&D worked with the community and numerous public and
private agencies to evolve a vision for the building. Job creation
in the remaining available space would produce rental income to
make non-revenue producing community projects possible. Jung Tao
School of Chinese Medicine, a long-term tenant of CCP&D (since
1999), moved to the second floor in 2003, opening the first floor
former media center for the Sugar Grove Developmental Day School
which opened 6/1/04. When the outstanding loan (Watauga County) has
been repaid, the community room renovation project can proceed.