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Glenn, a U.S. Army Vietnam vet, and the flagpole at the Baltimore School.
Watching movies at Baltimore School in 1953. Cramerton, NC.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Photo courtesy Millican Pictorial History Museum
NC Gov. Cooper extends Modified Stay at Home Order Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen announced last week that North Carolina’s Modified Stay At Home Order, requiring people to be at home from 10 pm – 5 am, will be extended. Face covering requirements and restrictions on individuals gathering in both indoor and outdoor settings are still in place. Executive Order No. 189 will be in effect through at least Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. The extension of Executive Order No. 190 allowing for the sale of “to-go” or delivery of mixed beverages will continue to help businesses that are struggling right now. The extension of Executive Order No. 191 will help families have the ability to stay in their homes, a critical component of slowing the spread of the virus. The Executive Orders
Safe Sitter class offered The Belmont Parks and Recreation is hosting a Safe Sitter: Safe@Home class for Grades 4-6. This class will teach preteens how to be safe when they are home alone. The price for the class is $25.00 , which includes an hour and a half class and a safe at home booklet that the participants can take home with them. Four classes, two on Wednesday March 10th at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM, and two classes on Saturday March 13th at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM. If you would like more information on this class or would like to register, please go to https://parksrec. egov.basgov.com/belmont or call 704-825-8191.
for “to-go” or delivery sales of mixed beverages and the evictions moratorium both received concurrence from the Council of State. “With more than 3,300 people in the hospital, and the percent of positive tests in double digits, we know this virus is still spreading,” said Governor Cooper. “And with at least one new contagious variant of COVID-19 in our state, we still have work to do. We cannot let our guard down, especially in these cold winter months.” In addition to the Modified Stay at Home Order, the DHHS secretarial directive remains in effect. People should stay home and only leave for essential purposes such as buying food, accessing health care, and going to school or work. “The 3 Ws are as essential as they have always been,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. “Remember people can have COVID-19 and not know it. The best way to protect those around you is to act as if you do have the virus and could be contagious. That means always wearing a mask – over your mouth and nose, always waiting apart from others, and always washing your hands frequently.” North Carolina continues to administer Covid-19 vaccines across the state. As of last week, 99.8% of all first doses received by the state were reported as being administered and 859,695 total doses have been administered. Vaccine supply continues to be very low and the state is hopeful for more vaccine to be on the way. North Carolinians can find out when they will be eligible to get their vaccine through a new online tool, Find My Vaccine Group. The screener walks users through a series
of questions to determine which vaccine group they fall in. Learn more about North Carolina’s vaccine rollout at YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov. On January 23, NCDHHS reported the first identified case of B.1.1.7 COVID-19 Variant in North Carolina. Early data suggest that this variant may be more contagious than other variants and state health officials continue to recommend staying The interior of the school is in need of a lot of work. at home when possible and practicing the 3 “W’s:” Wear a face covering, Wait 6 feet apart and Wash your hands. Dr. Cohen provided an upFrom Page 1 date on North Carolina’s data and trends. a plaque to be erected at the came along. Once that hapTrajectory in COVID-Like school at a later date. pened, the African-American Illness (CLI) Surveillance Also, the Cramerton Com- students from Baltimore were Over 14 Days- North Caro- munity Committee is planning transferred to schools in Bellina’s syndromic surveillance a volunteer work day at the mont and Cramerton. trend for COVID-like illness school on April 17th, to clean The school was nothing is decreasing, but high. up the yard and do other odd fancy. A potbellied stove Trajectory of Confirmed jobs that Glenn needs com- provided heat. Students sat Cases Over 14 Days- North pleted. at wooden desks. There were Carolina’s trajectory of cases Where and what is the no steps. Kids had to jump off is stabilizing, but high. Baltimore section of Cramer- the porch and get pulled back Trajectory in Percent of ton and what purpose did the up by classmates. Books were Tests Returning Positive Over school serve? second hand ones from white 14 Days- North Carolina’s Baltimore is a tiny corner schools. trajectory in percent of tests of Cramerton wedged between Today, the Baltimore returning positive is leveling, the base of Cramer Mtn. and School is an abandoned but high. the South Fork River. It is wooden building with basiTrajectory in Hospitaliza- where the town’s African- cally one large room. There’s tions Over 14 Days- North America citizens mostly lived. a porch on the front corner. InCarolina’s trajectory of hos- Baltimore St. is not much side, there are several original pitalizations is leveling, but over 100 yards long and with benches, one desk, and a couhigh. a couple of even shorter side ple of old washing machines. In addition to these met- streets branch off and dead The windows are blacked and rics, the state continues build- end. There are just a couple there’s soot on the ceiling. On ing capacity to adequately dozen small homes on the nar- the bright side, the original respond to an increase in virus row pavement, most of which clapboards and foundation are spread in testing, tracing and were built during the 1920s by in good shape. The roof was prevention. Stuart Cramer. These days, a replaced several years ago. In Testing- Testing capacity flock of free range chickens other words, a solid core is remains high. forms a cackling and crowing there for a restoration project. Tracing Capability- There welcoming committee as you The building is owned have been more than 666,000 drive along. by 75 year old Fred Glenn, a downloads of the exposure The Baltimore School Vietnam vet. He was born at notification app, SlowCO- served African-American 555 Patterson Street in BalVIDNC. children first through eighth timore and currently lives in Personal Protective Equip- grades. From there, the kids Charlotte. He comes back to ment- North Carolina’s per- went to Reid High in Bel- Baltimore and tends a garden sonal protective equipment mont. The school continued to there. (PPE) supplies are stable. operate until until integration Glenn’s deep love of Balti-
BALTIMORE
more led him to buy the school building from Burlington in 2003 and is currently driving his desire to see it preserved. “There are a lot of memories here,” Glenn said. “My mom Mary Lucinda Adams and aunt Helen Falls Holmes went to school here. When I was growing up in the 1950s, we used to come see movies on Tuesdays at the school and sit on the benches that are still inside. Fred Kirby (WBTV singing cowboy star) would come and put on shows for us. He would park his horse trailer at the end of the street and ride Calico to the neighborhood. We also had fish fries.” Glenn has a dream for the future of the Baltimore School. “If you think about it, the school was our community center,” he said. “I would like to see it preserved.” That’s going to take money. Glenn says that fundraisng has been slowed by COVID. “The plague has me hunkered down,” he said. “I want to see the school preserved possibly as a museum for current and future generations in memory of those who attended it.”
