MT AIRY, N.C. — For decades, J.J. Jones High School in Surry County served as the only school designated for the country's Black students.
Jones High School opened in 1933 but closed in 1966 once the state intergraded public schools.
Fast forward to today, Surry County has put J.J. Jones High up for sale, but we found out there's a group working to keep that from happening.
Dr. Evelyn Scales-Thompson and her brother Bobby Scales are alumni.
Their great-great-grandfather Bob Dyson donated the land for the school to the county for the betterment of his descendants. Mr. Scales detailed what this school means to him and the Black community of Surry County.
"It means the world to me, it's history to me, it's my history, my family's history, and the Black people's history."
Mr. Scales is a graduate of the class of 1956, he and his classmates are so invested in the school because they helped build it.
"We made all the cinderblocks and laid all the bricks for the gymnasium, we learned everything we needed to know to make it happen."
Dr. Evelyn Scales-Thompson graduated class of 1953, not only did she graduate from Jones, but she was a teacher there from 1964 until it closed in 1966.
"It was like a second home, I feel very close to the people and to the building and to the space...It really is a part of my becoming and beginning as a young woman"
In 2021, Jones High school was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Now in 2022, Surry County has put this piece of history up for sale. However, LaShene Lowe and the African-American Historical and Geological Society of Surry County are trying their best to save Jones High School.
"I want the people to understand that we are seeking support. We're seeking help, to keep this history alive."
If you'd like to, you can donate to the group GoFundMe to help Save Jones High School.