Museum Shares History Traces Lineage
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Carver High School was once an all-black school shut down because of desegregation. Alumni of the school have now dedicated a museum showcasing the accomplishments of Haywood Countians. Founders of the Dunbar Carver Museum said they not only want to educate the public about the good things black Haywood Countians do after graduating, but said they want to help African Americans with ties to the south trace their lineage. John Ashworth graduated from Carver High School in the 1960s and is the current President of the National Dunbar Haywood County Carver High School Alumni Association. He said the legacy of Carver High lives on thanks to one class that collaborated to create a Dunbar Carver High School Association. “One of the things they said as a goal was to try to create a museum or heritage center,” said Ashworth. He along with other alumni started the museum in 2007 to showcase of African Americans as those who have achieved and not victims. “As you look around this museum..you can begin to look at the success that a lot of them had on both a local stage..state level and national and international scale,” said Ashworth. And that includes the many stages the famous Tina Turner graced, and three graduates, Dr. Edith Peterson, Toreasa Wellington, and Freddie Jeffries. All three went on to achieve star rank status in the military. “We set out to find out how many African Americans from Haywood County fought in the Civil War. The hope was to help families from the south trace their lineage especially those who fought in the Civil War, but for some whose families cannot be traced to the military, the museum has an obituary list of Haywood Countians. “We are getting a lot of 3rd, 4th, 5th generation descendants from people who live in Haywood County who are now trying to reconnect with their ancestors,” said Ashworth.
