Renovations in the works at historic Henderson building with hopes to pay homage to its role in Black history

Now, the nonprofit is in the process of transforming into a "jubilee center." Giving it that title is intentional and pays homage to its history.

“I hope this will be motivation to look at our history from a different context,” said Abdul Rasheed, chief executive officer for the Franklin-Vance Warren Opportunity.

“That was the first large school for African Americans in the area. It was dedicated to train teachers,” explained Tem Blackburn, the vice president of the Vance County Historical Society.

“She died because of an operation that had to be performed in her home,” Blackburn said. “Dr. [J.A.] Cotton, who was the principal at Henderson Institute, thought that one of the contributing factors to her death was the lack of a sterile environment … There was no hospital in a 40-mile area that would admit African Americans at the time.”

“The closest hospital that would accept African American patients was Lincoln Hospital in Durham, NC, a [40]-mile wagon trip over rutted and rocky roads,” according to Appalachian State University.

That was the catalyst to the creation of the Jubilee Hospital in 1911. Cotton donated a plot of land and the WGMS of the United Presbyterian Church raised money.

“Because most of the funds were raised in 1911, the 50th anniversary, or “Jubilee year,” of the start of the Civil War, which brought freedom to people enslaved in the Southern states, the hospital was named Jubilee Hospital (JH),” according to Appalachian State University.

“It brought doctors and nurses to the area and gave them a place to practice their profession,” Blackburn said. " Against adversity, they created a community with brick masons, teachers, doctors, lawyers. They created a whole community here, despite the difficulties.”

“Few improvements were made to the facility during the Great Depression or World War II. By 1950, the building was condemned but was allowed to remain open until a replacement was completed in 1959 … The new hospital, costing over $425,000 was only used for seven years, until 1966, when Civil Rights legislation forced the white-only Maria Parham Hospital to accept people of all races for care,” according to Appalachian State University.

It later became a municipal building until the nonprofit took over.

“I’m hoping to rewrite the narrative,” Rasheed said.

As Franklin-Vance Warren Opportunity prepares for the transformation, he said he’s taken all that history into account. He wants to continue that legacy.

“I was intrigued by ‘jubilee’, the name ‘Jubilee Hospital,’” he said. “I found that ‘jubilee’ was about celebration, acknowledgement, restoring identity … I thought we ought to bring this ‘Jubilee Center’ notion to life, which would allow us to document and celebrate positive contributions of the growth and development of the area by African Americans.”

Project manager Brandon Alexander said they have completed the bidding process. He said renovations are expected to start by mid-June and finish in March 2025.

"We’re going to completely change the front of the building,” he said. “The skin, the facade, all of that will be different.”

Rasheed said the center will have a dual purpose.

“The jubilee center we’re creating will be a space where we display, capture and present history of individuals … that have deep, deep history and constructive contributions that were made to the development of this area,” he said. “It’s going to be an art space, a cultural space, a convening space.”

Ultimately, Rasheed said the new facility will be a destination in and around Henderson.

“We have every documentation of the evils of some parts of our history," Rasheed said. "I want to capture the positive, constructive, resilience, the triumph that we also have and should celebrate as part of our past.”