Brown Elementary School honored with historic marker

Location of former elementary school now site of Brown School Lofts at Legacy Heights The Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission recently unveiled a marker honoring the legacy of Brown Elementary School. The marker honoring one of the city’s most historic schools is located near the corner of E. 11th Street and Dublin Drive.  Opened in 1910 as Woodland Avenue Colored School, it was one of the first schools in Winston-Salem for Black students and served the community until 1977. In 1941 the school was renamed Brown Elementary in honor of Robert W. Brown, who was a cofounder of Mutual Life Insurance Company and served as principal at the school for 30 years.  Several students who attended Brown Elementary were at the marker unveiling last week. Siblings Dan Jenkins and Gail Couthern had fond memories of their days walking from Cleveland Projects to Brown in the late 1960s. They both described a loving and caring environment filled with teachers that pushed students to strive for greatness. “We loved making that walk from Cleveland every day and we loved coming to school … it was just something about it,” said Jenkins while reflecting on his time spent at Brown Elementary.  Couthern, who...