001-5065 Central High School

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 06/17/2010

NRHP Listing Date 08/16/2010

NRHP Reference Number 10000561

Central High School is an imposing brick two-story building in Accomack County. Constructed in two phases between 1932 and 1935, it embodies the Art Deco style, a common design for American schools in the 1930s, but rarely employed on the Eastern Shore. The school is situated in a prominent position alongside the state highway between the towns of Painter and Keller, and served as a high school until 1984, when it was converted to a middle school.  The early outbuildings were built during or right after construction of the main building to serve the high school as extra class space, a vocational training center, and a home economics facility. Central only had three principals during its life as a high school, and the buildings represent a vital piece of the community’s history for much of the 20th century as an important educational as well as community center.

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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

Updated: September 14, 2022