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12 <br /> NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No 1024-0018 <br /> (8-86) <br /> United States Department of the Interior <br /> National Park Service <br /> National Register of Historic Places <br /> Continuation Sheet <br /> Section number 8 Page 14 North Carolina Industrial Home for Colored Girls <br /> Orange County,NC <br /> Mr. Lassiter was dismissed in March 1935. In June 1935, agent Ezell reported that twelve girls were <br /> in residence under the supervision of matron Lula B. Henderson and farm manager Lewis Walker, both <br /> of whom had been hired in April. Henderson's husband, a retired pastor,resided in Chapel Hill but <br /> was engaged by the Emergency Relief Administration's Division of Adult Education to provide <br /> academic instruction at NCIHCG. Ezell noted that Lula Henderson had called Sheriff Sloan to diffuse <br /> altercations on several occasions. He also stated that general store proprietor S. C. Forrest and Rob <br /> Nichols asserted that a white man had been assisting runaways from the reformatory. In response to <br /> the poor evaluation and other complaints regarding the institution' deficient management,the <br /> NCIHCG board of directors' executive committee convened in Durham in July to address the situation. <br /> They soon engaged Hilda C.Allen to serve as the reformatory's superintendent. Henderson continued <br /> as a matron.28 <br /> In November 1935,Allen requested that NCSBCPW's Division of Mental Health evaluate the <br /> reformatory and propose improvement measures. The study, which included intelligence and <br /> scholastic aptitude tests, concluded that most residents suffered from mental impairments which led to <br /> difficulties with academic coursework that were exacerbated by a lack of books and supplies. <br /> Vocational instruction was therefore encouraged,with the idea that domestic skills training would <br /> better prepare the girls to find work after discharge. The inspector also found that the facility's single <br /> bathroom, heating system, and water supply were inadequate. The kitchen stove was the primary heat <br /> source as the basement flooded every winter, rendering the furnace inoperable. The pump was often <br /> out of commission, making it impossible to draw water from the well. Site staff did not have an <br /> administrative office. The inspector encouraged resolution of these issues as well as interior painting <br /> and decorating to provide a more pleasant environment. Also, as all of the windows had been covered <br /> with barbed wire to discourage runaways, the agent suggested removing the wire.29 <br /> Hilda Allen solicited contributions from individuals and organizations in order to affect some of the <br /> proposed changes. She taught the girls to sing spirituals and arranged performances of the Efland <br /> Quartette at local churches as a means of promoting the reformatory's success and garnering <br /> donations. Allen made considerable progress in her efforts to improve conditions. However, citing an <br /> inability to manage her numerous duties, she resigned in early May 1937, leaving Lula Henderson in <br /> charge.3° <br /> W. C. Ezell and his assistant T. L. Grier inspected the institution in July 1937. They noted ongoing <br /> issues with the heating system, bathroom, and overall building repair. Henderson, farm manager <br /> Charlie Freeman, and the residents struggled to maintain the cottage and agricultural operation. The <br /> 28 NCSBCPW correspondence, 1935,NCSBPWI,Box 163. <br /> 29 NCSBCPW Division of Mental Health,"Psycho-educational Survey of North Carolina Industrial School for <br /> Negro Girls," 1935,NCSBPWI,Box 163. <br /> 3o Hilda C.Allen,letter to R.Eugene Brown,April 29, 1937,NCSBPWI,Box 163. <br />