09/08/2026
On April 10, 2026, the Bowman-Cherry Center reopened, continuing the site’s legacy as a place for learning, creativity, and community connection.
Its reconstruction and restoration came through a partnership between the Nelson County Black Citizens Arts Council and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
George Payne, David Johnson, and Alex Hamilton purchased the land at First and Brashear in 1903. By 1905, the one room Bardstown Colored Grade School was open, becoming Nelson County’s first public school for Black children. Students attended here until 1923, when a larger school was built across the street.
In 1923 the construction of the Nelson County Training School (Rosenwald School) began. Originally it was a 4-teacher facility with a construction cost of $7,200. Between 1925-26 it was expanded, adding 2 rooms and becoming a 6-teacher facility. The expansion was an extra $2,000. The school was torn down in the late 60s/early 70s for Public Housing through the FHA.
Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck, built state-of-the art schools for African American children across the South. The effort has been called the most important initiative to advance Black education in the early 20th century.
📍403 N. First Street, Bardstown
