Bethesda Schoolhouse is the only surviving one-room African-American schoolhouse in Mecklenburg County. It was originally located at the corner of Alexanderana Road and Eastfield Road, about 7.5 miles southeast of Rural Hill. It is thought to have been built in 1898 by local African-American farmer John Young so his children and other African-American children in the community could attend school. After serving for some years as a community school, it was absorbed into the Mecklenburg County school system and operated as a public school until 1940, when it closed as part of a statewide school consolidation program. The building then returned to private ownership and was converted into a rental house with a kitchen and bathroom added on one side. From the 1950s to the 1960s, it was used as a social gathering place and for community picnics. In 2005, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission designated it a historic landmark and purchased it, and in June 2005 an agreement with Rural Hill Inc. led to its move to its present location, where it was placed on February 16, 2006. Since then, Rural Hill has stabilized the building, built a permanent foundation, and replaced the roof, while work continues as funding allows to restore its original appearance while adapting it for modern use.