Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Historic Croft Schoolhouse
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 2024
1. Historic Croft Schoolhouse Marker
Croft Schoolhouse
circa 1890-1910
in the
Croft Community
placed in the
National Register of Historic Places
1990
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1990.
Location. 35° 20.82′ N, 80° 49.369′ W. Marker is in Charlotte, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It can be reached from Bob Beatty Road (State Road 2483) 0.2 miles south of Old Statesville Road (State Route 115), on the left when traveling south. The marker is under the portico to the left of the front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9200 Bob Beatty Rd, Charlotte NC 28269, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Signers of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (approx. Ύ mile away); James Hoyt Wilhelm (approx. 3.2 miles away); McIntyre Skirmish (approx. 3.3 miles away); The Battle of McIntyre's Farm (approx. 3.3 miles away); McCoy Slave Cemetery (approx. 3½ miles away); Huntersville School #2 (approx. 4 miles away); The Oldest Cemetery and the Walls (approx. 4.4 miles away); William Bain Alexander (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlotte.
Regarding Historic Croft Schoolhouse. Croft Schoolhouse is a contributing building of the Croft Historic District. Excerpts from the Croft Historic District Nomination Form:
The community's youngsters attended the old Croft School, which was built in two stages. Physical evidence suggests that the original section was built c. 1890 and then was enlarged early in this century, but its history prior to the twentieth century is not documented. The first mention of the school lot in the deed records occurred in 1904, and in 1912 theBoard of Education acquired another acre next to its original site, probably for the expansion. By 1924, the school had four teachers. Local lore has it that the original school had two teachers who taught grades one through nine, and that Silas Davis, who had ten children, decided it was too small. When he failed to persuade the school board to make any changes, he took it upon himself to hire carpenter Neil Barnett to double the size of the school and presented the bill to the board, for which he was promptly repaid.Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 20242. Historic Croft Schoolhouse Marker and Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Site plaque at the left.
By the 1920s, in the Croft School's expanded version, grades one through seven were taught by four teachers, most of whom evidently had more than one grade in their classrooms. Graduating students went on to Huntersville High School a few miles away. In her account of Croft School based upon interviews of former students, Paula Stathakis writes:
"Students who attended the Croft School in the 1910s and 1920s remember that the school never had electricity or running water. Students had to bring their lunch from home and they were also required to bring their own drinking glass. Each day, different children were chosento go next door to the Silas Davis house to pump the drinking water for school. It took several trips and several buckets full to meet the school's daily drinking water requirements. However, the pupils looked forward to having their turn to escape class for a few minutes to pump water. Two outhouses were located behind the school, one for boys, the other for girls. In the winter, the school was heated by a wood stove. Since the school was close to the general store and the railroad tracks, teachers and pupils became accustomed to the seasonal whistle of the cotton gin and the daily noise of trains. Three northbound trains passed through Croft each morning and three southbound trains passed through each afternoon. Teachers and students were so used to the noises that marked the rhythm of life in Croft that the trains and whistles frequently went unnoticed.Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 20243. Front view of Historic Croft Schoolhouse. Marker to the left of the brown door on the right
Also see . . . Croft Historic District Nomination Form (pdf). Prepared by Rick Mattson, Will Huffman and Claudia R. Brown, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (Submitted on November 29, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Photographed by Mark Parker, November 29, 2024
4. Historic Croft Schoolhouse Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 522 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 29, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
