African Americans formed the Mathews Educational League in 1923 and raised $9,900 to build a four-room school here in 1926-1927. Donations came mainly from the black community, with additional contributions from white residents, the county school board, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund. This fund, established by the president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co., and inspired by the work of Booker T. Washington, helped build more than 5,000 schools and supporting structures for black students between 1917 and 1932. Named for Thomas Hunter, a former slave, this school was accredited during the 1939-1940 session and moved into a new brick building here in 1953. County schools were desegregated in 1969.