Glover School sits nestled deep within the rural confines of the Bealsville community, shaded by grand oaks and brightened by a smiling community.
And, it sure has something to smile about. After more than a decade, the 81-year-old campus is finally seeing the end of its renovations.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham and members of the county staff enjoyed a walkthrough July 21, with Bealsville Inc. Executive Director Gwendolyn Thomas.
“It went just fine,” Thomas said. “In any renovation, you need touch-ups. When you start using the building, you see touch-ups.”
Glover School had fallen into disrepair in the 1970s, after it was no longer used as a school. Paint peeled from its exterior, its plumbing and electrical systems became rusted. But the neighborhood held it close to their hearts and managed to get funding to renovate it through Community Development Block Grants.
It’s come a long way since repairs began in 2001. After several extensions and unexpected problems, the project wrapped up officially this year. But the school is still having some minor repairs done to it that include painting, electric and plumbing. The community hopes it will be able to use it as a community center soon.
“We didn’t want to do a total move-in yet,” Thomas said. “We’re waiting for the repairs to be done in a couple more weeks.”
Thomas hopes to start moving in artifacts for the museum that will be housed in the school by the end of the month. Already, old photographs line the walls of a room with a dusty chalkboard. Vintage books sit on a shelf in the center of this room. Acclaimed folk artist and Bealsville local, Ruby C. Williams, has even donated some of her work to the school.
HISTORY LESSON
Bealsville has a rich history that dates back to the 1800s. It was established by freed slaves in 1865. After the abolition, the freed men and women gathered at the plantation of Sarah Hopewell. She provided them with horses, hoes, a mule and a plow and allowed them to stay on her property until they completed the town they named Howell’s Creek. It later changed to Bealsville after Alfred Beal, the son of one of the founders.
Glover School, however, wasn’t built until 1933. Before the school was built, classes were held in a nearby church. But, Bealsville residents wanted their own school and raised more than $1,000 for the school through fish fries and musical shows. The county matched funds raised by Bealsville for the school. William Glover donated 10 acres of land for the three-room school.
The structure was then renamed Glover School and constructed by the county. Pupils from Keysville, Hopewell, Coronet and Trapnell were transported to Glover School.
In 1949, a second wooden structure was moved onto the campus, and, in 1954, another four rooms were built to provide for educational growth, with first to ninth grades operational.
The school stopped classes around 1972, and it sunk into disrepair.
SAVING THE SCHOOL
In November 1980, Bealsville Inc., a non-profit organization, was established by W.O. Beal, S.P. Berry, Fred Patterson, Lottie Broadnax, Lillie Berry, Edith Dexter, Delphina Broadnax, Bessie Patterson, Viola C. Green, Ovid V. Hargrett Sr., Adam Holloman and Ethel Glover to coordinate efforts to renovate and rehabilitate Glover School. Cora Hagrett Ford, Henry Davis and Chester Dexter joined the movement in 1981.
“After it closed down, it was just left,” Thomas said. “After not being used for so long, it needed work. It takes time and funding for upkeep.”
Even though efforts were put in place to restore the school, it continued to fall deeper into disrepair. Still, Bealsville Inc. worked to restore it.
“That’s when the organization decided to pull itself together to get funding,” Thomas said. “They made it a historical site to get funding through that.”
Glover School made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in July 2005. The distinguished title brought pride to the community but also made it difficult to do the needed renovations, because of stricter guidelines placed on historic sites.
Hillsborough County stepped in to provide more funding.
“It was in jeopardy of not being able to be used anymore, if nothing was done,” said Paula Harvey, director of the Hillsborough County Affordable Housing Services Department.
But, the county didn’t know it was going to take this long or encounter so many unexpected problems.
Since 2001, more than $1 million in total Community Development Block Grant funding has been made available to Bealsville Inc. to pay for the cost of renovations. Responsibility for administering the project renovations has been shared by the county and Bealsville.
Renovations included HVAC design, painting, roofing and an unplanned new well and septic tank installation.
“It took a long time for the project to get done,” Harvey said. “It seemed like every time the contractor went there, something new had to be done.”
BACK IN SESSION
With renovations basically complete, Bealsville Inc. hopes to move the museum in starting at the end of the month. It also wants to start hosting events, such as computer classes and, next year, summer programs for kids. In the future, Thomas envisions plays and musicals taking place on the school’s quaint stage.
“The school is the center of the community,” Thomas said. “It’s where the children were educated. They all hold it dear to their hearts.”
Thomas wants to host an opening celebration in October. Bealsville Inc. also will continue to raise funds to keep the school functional.
“It’s an important site,” Thomas said. “It’s history.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW TO HELP
To help keep Glover School in tip-top shape, donations can be made to the non-profit Bealsville, Inc. by calling Gwendolyn Thomas at (813) 340-2557 or Treasurer William Thomas at (813) 716-2324.