Virginia State Seal Virginia Department of Historic Resources

044-5167 Spencer-Penn School

Spencer-Penn School
Photo credit: Mike Pulice/DHR, 2006

*Click on image to enlarge.

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 03/16/2005

NRHP Listing Date 05/26/2005

NRHP Reference Number 05000482

Consolidated schools such as the Spencer-Penn School in Henry County fulfilled important roles in the educational and civic life of rural communities in Virginia for generations of students and their families. Accounts of student and community life at Spencer-Penn testify to its educational and social significance to the Spencer community. The school grounds and school, a solid brick Colonial Revival building constructed in 1926–27, were used for myriad social functions, community activities, and athletic events. Today the school and its ancillary buildings, including a mid-1930s home economics cottage and frame auxiliary classroom, are the only surviving pre-World War II non-domestic structures in Spencer. The Spencer-Penn School complex is significant for the high quality of its construction and design, which exemplifies public school architecture in Virginia during the post-World War I period.


Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

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


Updated: August 19, 2022