Cove Creek High School, Sugar Grove, North Carolina
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PersonsMD
N 36° 15.756 W 081° 47.128
17S E 429442 N 4013361
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"
Waymark Code: WM5EQ5
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2008
Views: 12
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 The former Cove Creek High School/Elementary School had been replaced by new schools and the old building was at risk of ruin.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.
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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.