Missouri school Carver attended to be rehabilitated

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A Missouri school where noted scientist and inventor George Washington Carver attended as a child is undergoing rehabilitation to return it to its original condition.

The Neosho Colored School is being moved so the Carver Birthplace Association can rebuild and stabilize the structure, the Joplin Globe reported. The school building was built in 1872.

"It's a project worth restoring," executive director Kim Mailes said. "We will restore it the same way it looked the day Carver walked up to it."

Carver used to walk 10 miles to Neosho to attend the all-black school. The school gave Carver his first formal education. It operated from 1872 to 1891.

The association plans to complete the foundation, chimney and roof rehabilitation by summer, Mailes said. The group also will add furniture to resemble the building's original state, including benches and a chalkboard.

The organization plans to use the school as a visitors center where students can learn about history, diversity and racial harmony, Mailes said.

"It's going to be a rare opportunity for the public to be able to visit an actual restoration of the school and have a greater understanding of the processes that began at African-American schools following the Civil War," he said.

The group hopes to complete the project by 2020 to coincide with the school's 150-year anniversary. It'll depend on funding, which will come from community donations, fundraisers and grants, Mailes said.

The renovations are estimated to cost about $250,000.

Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com