WILSON COUNTY CIVIC LEAGUE

The site that the building sits on has a long history. The original school was one of the many "Rosenwald Schools." Julius Rosenwald, born in 1862, was one of the presidents of Sears Corporation. Mr. Rosenwald contributed large donations of money to educational institutions, museums, and other organizations. He took particular interest in the plight of African Americans. So he, in addition, donated large sums of money for the construction of schools which became known as "Rosenwald Schools" in poor, rural, and predominantly African American school districts in 15 states, including Tennessee.

​

The schools were built with the assistance of the African American community members. Mr. Rosenwald is responsible for the construction of over 5 thousand school buildings, 200 teacher homes, 163 workshops, and 5 high schools for African Americans.

​

This building continued to serve as the location for African American students to attend grammar school well into the 1970's. The Lebanon Special School District took over the facility in the 1980's. They used the building as an elementary school and later the location of their Board of Education. In 1993 the Wilson County Civic League purchased the building back from the city of Lebanon for $10. Currently, the Market Street Community Center houses the offices of the Wilson County Civic League, the arts academy, the tutoring program, the recreational program, the senior citizens program. and the mature workers program sponsored by the National Council of Aging.