Residents Plan to Rebuild after Fire Destroys Historic Building
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A historic landmark went up in flames at the hands of an arsonist in Hardeman County, according to the Whiteville Police Department. Investigators said the Allen White School burned early Sunday morning. Fire Department investigators believe someone intentionally set the fire, since the building had no electricity or gas and there were no storms in the area at the time of the blaze. The school was the only African-American school in the area before being integrated back in 1970, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Evelyn Robertson Jr. , wrote a book about the school. He is a member of the class of 1959 and his last name is in the cornerstone, because his family helped to build it. “Devastation, frustration… as to why someone would want to destroy the history of a school in a community with something like a match,” said Robertson. Both the Whiteville Police and Fire Departments are working together to salvage and solve exactly how the fire was started. ” We’ve got every asset in the Whiteville Police Department including what assets we can get from State Bomb and Arson. Expert investigators on arson, we are putting everything that we have got in it, said Kenny Brown, of the Whiteville Police Dept. Police said they are still searching for who is responsible. “We’ve got a few leads that we are working, they look promising, there is no doubt we are going to find who did it.” said Brown. Before the fire, local organizations were in the process of raising money to restore and transform the Allen White School into a historical museum. “I think that says that there is some hope, this particular fire is not going to destroy the dream,” said Robertson. A dream, residents said, they believe will rise from the ashes. “There is something that is going to happen here on these grounds to the betterment of our community, the history will be preserved, ” said Robertson. Residents said, they plan to rebuild if the school is deemed a total loss. If you know who may have started the fire, call the Whiteville Police Department. There is a $7,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
