At a Southern Pines Town Council meeting held Tuesday, town officials voiced their support for nominating the former Our Lady of Victory Catholic Parish to the National Register of Historic Places. This is one of several milestones in the town’s recent efforts to preserve historically significant sites in West Southern Pines.
The nomination is part of the town’s Underrepresented Communities grant project with the National Park Service. The grant has two parts: formally nominating three sites to the National Register and identifying other properties that may qualify in the future. The Our Lady of Victory site is the first nomination to move forward.
Located on the campus of what is now the E.S. Douglass Community Center and the Coalition Resale Shops, the former parish was a cornerstone of West Southern Pines. Built in 1935, the church and school complex served as both a place of worship and an educational hub for Black families during the era of segregation.
“In the opinion of planning staff, Our Lady of Victory was a cornerstone for West Southern Pines,” read Mason Mattox, Planner II with the Town of Southern Pines. “The nomination form tells a story of these buildings with tremendous original integrity, well preserved, and a community that pursued faith, integrity, and dignity during some of the most challenging decades of the 20th century.”
The parish was founded through the efforts of Margaret Sullivan, with support from the Diocese of Raleigh under Father Charles Hannigan. The school was built in 1942 and was staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Students learned both academic and practical skills, including sewing, carpentry, and metalwork. Community life extended beyond the classroom, with annual plays, library hours for adults, and daily meals provided by the parish priest.
Families from at least nine different denominations enrolled their children at the school, which developed a reputation for academic excellence. Many graduates advanced directly from eighth to 10th grade in public schools.
In 1961, Our Lady of Victory merged with St. Anthony of Padua following the Diocese of Raleigh’s desegregation order, making it the first integrated school in Moore County.
Architecturally, the 1935 chapel is noted as the only shingle-style church in Southern Pines, while the rectory mirrors the same design. The school features Colonial Revival elements and retains original wooden lockers.
The nomination explains that the site meets two National Register criteria: its association with African American heritage, education, and social history during segregation and integration, and its architectural significance.
The Southern Pines Town Council made a motion to support the nomination, and the motion passed unanimously. The nomination will now move forward in the review process, with local support noted on record.
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Feature photo: Our Lady of Victory Catholic School. Photo by Sandhills Sentinel/Stephanie M. Sellers.
~ Written by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
