Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Susie G. Gibson High School
Susie G. Gibson (1878-1949), teacher and community activist, was Bedford County’s supervisor of African American education for 22 years. Her work was sponsored by the Jeanes Fund, established by Anna T. Jeanes in 1907 to enhance opportunities for black students in the rural South. Susie G. Gibson High School, named in her honor, opened just northeast of here in 1954 to serve African American students in the Town and County of Bedford. Designed by noted architect Stanhope Johnson, the school reflected an effort to equalize educational facilities rather than desegregate them. Gibson High closed in 1970 when the U.S. government required county schools to desegregate fully.
Sponsor: Susie G. Gibson Legacy, Inc.
Locality: Bedford County
