CHESTER — Nearly a century after a local Black grade school closed, its supporters and a handful of surviving graduates said its absence is still felt. "The curriculum of Brainerd Institute, which included daily devotionals, music, sports, crafts, romance and classical languages, would not be matched in any other Black prep school of the country," said the board of directors for the Brainerd Institute Heritage , where they want that type of learning to resume in earnest. The Brainerd property at 115 Marquis St.
has just one remaining building — in serious need of repair — on its acreage. The vision to educate young people there remains intact, said board member Pete Stone, who said they're gathering funding and expertise to make it happen. The Brainerd Heritage Institute in Chester was a grade school for Black children in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Property owners recently received a federal grant to hire consultants who will develop a master plan to offer cultural, arts and literacy programs at the institute. "The idea is to teach literacy through the fine arts and bring opportunities to Chester that you could only get in Charlotte," he said. "Cosby Show" actress Phylicia Rashad bought the property in 1999.
Her mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, was in the school's final graduating class in 1939. That was 75 years after Presbyterian USA Church created Brainerd as an elite educational institution for Black students, the board of directors said. Ayers remains.