Group wants to use
historic black
orphanage buildings
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
County
Commissioners heard a
proposal last week for
using the former Memorial
Industrial School orphan
age to again serve children
and the greater community.
The Memorial
Industrial School original
ly began as the Colored
Baptist Orphanage Home
in Winston-Salem’s
Belview neighborhood in
1906. It moved to 425
acres of land near Rural
Hall in 1928, where it was
renamed Memorial
Industrial School and was
the only African-American
orphanage in the state to
serve a single county. The
county bought the land in
1977 and now uses it for
Horizons Park and leases a
portion of the land with
buildings formerly used by
the orphanage, to Horizons
Residential Care Center,
which provides compre
hensive services for people
with developmental dis
abilities.
Last year, Horizons
Residential Care reduced
the amount of land it was
I
Bradshaw
leasing from the county
from about 27 acres to
about nine acres. This
meant several of the build
ings from the old orphan
age are now back under the
county’s care, including
the Administration
Building, Girls’ Cottage
and Baby Cottage.
Last week, English
Bradshaw of the Memorial
Industrial Community
Development Corporation
gave a presentation on
some possible uses for
those buildings. It’s a per
sonal cause for Bradshaw,
81, who was just two years
old when he was placed at
the orphanage. He
described living, learning
and working there until he
was 15 years old, after
which he was placed in
foster care. He helped get
J
Reid
Memorial Industrial
School added to the
National Register of
Historic Places in 2015
and is now hoping to
restore a sense of commu
nity back to its former
buildings.
“We are aware this
project is a heavy lift and
there are many moving
parts,” said Bradshaw, who
is former political science
professor.
Consultant Kenneth
Reid of the Easton Reid
Group did an overview of
some possible uses for
buildings, which he called
the Children’s Village.
This included using the
Administration Building as
a multi-use community
center and using the Baby
Cottage as a supervised
residence for children in
Photo courtesy of N C. Stale Historic Preservation Office
Memorial Industrial Ct>C wants to turn this former Administrative Building of
the historic Memorial Industrial School into a multipurpose community center.
Memorial Industrial CDC has many possible uses
it’s exploring for the Girls’ Cottage and Baby
Cottage of the historic Memorial Industrial School.
the foster care system
waiting to transition for
permanent placement. The
group is still exploring
uses for the Girls’ Cottage,
but possibilities included a
battered women’s shelter,
senior co-housing, transi
tional housing to foster
care children uniting with
their parent or parents, and
training facilities for
Social Services and other
organizations.
“Our whole goal is to
see how we can restore a
national historic site while
serving the children of
Forsyth County and also
addressing other problems
the county may have,” said
Reid
He said Memorial
Industrial CDC would
work with the county,
community leaders, other
local CDCs and organiza
tions- including the
Children’s Center of Surry
County- to find the best
use for those buildings and
make them a reality.
Bradshaw said the
commissioners may want
to give the CDC a resolu
tion of intent to give it a
year to work with
Horizons Residential and
the county to come up with
the best adaptive use for
those buildings.
The Administration
Building’s gym and occa
sionally other parts of the
building are still used by
Horizons Residential. The
county’s Facilities
Division assessed the
building and found it
would take minimal
repairs to make it a com
munity center. County
Manager Dudley Watts
said that there are plans to
use 2016 bond funds for
the building's renovations,
but that’s still years away.
The cottages are in need of
more extensive renova
tions.
Bradshaw said after
wards that he’s still form
ing the board for the CDC,
but his working team of
advisors includes Rev.
Paul Robeson Ford, Rev.
Alvin Carlisle and Ritchie
Brooks, the retired head of
the city’s Community
Development department.
Swift hired as new health director
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Forsyth County has hired Joshua Swift
to be the county’s new Public Health direc
tor.
Swift, 41, was most recently the health
director of Caldwell County, a position he
held for about a year. Prior to that, he was
the deputy health director in New Hanover
from 2011-2017 and health director in
Stokes County from 2008-2011. Prior to
that, he worked for the health departments
in Wilkes and Iredell Counties.
“I am very excited about becoming the
health director for the Forsyth County
Department of Public Health,” said Swift.
“ My goal is that we continue to serve all
the residents of Forsyth County and
improve the health of the community. This
includes the services we offer, along with
working with other organizations and
groups in Forsyth to address health dispar
ities and social determinants of health.”
Swift has a Bachelor of Science in
Health Education and Promotion from
Appalachian State University and a Master
in Public Health from the University of
South Carolina. He is the past president of
the N.C. Public Health Association
(NCPHA). He’s a recipient of the Charles
Blackmon Leadership Award from the
N.C. Healthy Carolinians Office and a spe
cial award from the N.C. Public Health
Association.
Swift, who is originally from Surry
Swift
County,
said he
applied for
the Forsyth
County position because he wanted an
opportunity to serve a larger county and be
closer to his family.
Swift replaces Marlon Hunter, who left
in August to be chief executive of
ReGenesis Health Care in South Carolina.
Swift will assume his new position on Nov.
13.