, 1952-05-21
Rural Housinq
For Negroes

opened the Nations first farm demonstration home in the
jeremiah community near here.
More than 500 white and colored rural people from
every section of the State witnessed the opening ceremon
les of the model home which will provide first-hand ex
perience in better rural living for the hundreds of farm
families who through the years actually will have an OPP
portunity to spend a brief vacation period in it. The
home represents an entirely new educational approach TIC
the problem of improving rural housing.
Dedication speaker was District Agent A. II. Ward
of the South Carolina Extension Service who praised Mrs
Marian B. Paul, State supervisor of Negro home demon
stration, her staff, and the rural women's clubs fol-
their part in getting the home constructed and furnished
Other speakers on the program were: Miss Juanita
Nicely, State home demonstration agent; }. M. Eleazer
who represented State Director D. w. Watkins; Mrs. Mat
the Eaddy, vice president of the jeremiah community
home demonstration club; J. B. FELTON, Of the State De-
partment of Education, Sherman Brscoe of the U. S. De-
partment of Agriculture; E.. N. Williams, State supervi-
sor of Negro farm demonstration work; Mrs. Eva G. Law
renee, home agent of Williamsburg County where the
home is situated; and V. B. Thomas, farm agent of the
same county.
The idea for such a home where farm families may
come and live and learn about planning, building, furnish
ing, and maintaining a modern rural home was conceived
by Mrs. Paul six years ago. She took her idea to the Gen
eral Education Board and was granted $500 for the pro
ject. Home demonstration clubs and business firms in the
region contributed the rest of the funds and furnishings
for the model home. They gave timber, an electric pump,
rugs bedspreads, towels, and material for draperies.
Mrs. Paul says that one young farm family in each
of the 80 counties where a home agent is employed will
be selected each year to spend a week in the home be-
tween fall and late spring. During the summers, 4-Hgirls
will occupy the home. A full-time home management
worker is to be employed.
Detectives of the demonstration house, says Mrs.
Paul, are: Cd to motivate the families to improve their
homes; (2) to train the women in better methods of home
management and in the use of labor saving devices, CD
to develop a model lawn, garden, and poultry flock, and
ca to make the house useful for educationa and recrea-
tional purposes.
The attractive six-room $4,000 cement block rambler
has a living room, dining room, U-shaped kitchen, three
bedrooms, including a %children's room; bathroom, front
porch, screened back porch and ample storage space.
All the windows have full-length screens.
The home is furnished with used furniture that has
been refinished and reupholstered. For eXmaple, the a.
gents and club women were given an old overstuffedchair
which they renovated at a total cost of only SIT. They
now value the attractive chair at S85. Total furnishings,
exclusive of the electric appliances, cost only S165, but
are now worth close to $4,000. X
The electrical appliances-stove, Refrigerator, auto
matte washing machine and ironer-cost them 1914 at a
As percent discount. This equipment will be replaced
every two years by the latest models, and the home
economist of the appliance firm will give demonstrations
in the proper use of the equipment twice a month.
I'm this State and in many parts of our great Nation,
one observes livestock and tobacco barns that are often
better than the farm homes" says Mrs. Paul. 'Perhaps
a practical demonstration in better living may help to
our house serves such a purpose"