Centerville in Hickman County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

The O.H. Bernard Rosenwald School and Community Center

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, January 4, 2025

1. The O.H. Bernard Rosenwald School and Community Center marker

Inscription. On this site in the early 1920s the Ali Vesta School opened as the first school in Hickman County to provide educational opportunities for African Americans. It was a two-room building that accommodated approximately eighty students and two teachers. In 1930 it was replaced by a Rosenwald School, named after Rosenwald State Agent Ollie H. Bernard. The Bernard School became the only school in the county for African American students in grades one through twelve. As a result of desegregation. the Bernard School closed in May 1969.

In 1979, a Bernard School reunion attracted some 250 people, including former students, teachers, family, and community members, with almost every graduating class represented. Following a ground- swell of support to save and renovate the Bernard School, a group of alumni purchased the building in 2006, and with community supporters, founded the Bernard Community Center, Inc., providing economic, social, and educational benefits to the community.

Erected 2024 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3D 92.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic

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lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools, and the Tennessee Historical Commission series lists.

Location. 35° 45.903′ N, 87° 27.181′ W. Marker is in Centerville, Tennessee, in Hickman County. It is on Bernard Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 113 Bernard Ave, Centerville TN 37033, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in the Highland Rim.

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 Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Former site of the Methodist Church, Sons of Temperance and Polk Masons Lodge (approx. 1.2 miles away); Waynick Block (approx. 1.2

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, January 4, 2025

2. The O.H. Bernard Rosenwald School and Community Center marker

miles away); Simplici Soap Factory (approx. 1.2 miles away); Centerville Marketplace (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Local Place (approx. 1.2 miles away); Centreville Fires (approx. 1.2 miles away); Remember When Gift Shop (approx. 1.2 miles away); Lillie and Blanche (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Centerville.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, January 4, 2025

3. The O.H. Bernard Rosenwald School and Community Center marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 7, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.