208-5001 Buckingham Training School

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 12/11/2014

NRHP Listing Date 02/13/2015

NRHP Reference Number 15000013

The site of the Rosenwald-funded Buckingham Training School, near Dillwyn, was constructed during Virginia’s era of racial segregation. Known today as Stephen J. Ellis Memorial Park, the site is significant for its direct association with the efforts of local African Americans to obtain education during segregation. From 1924 to 1954, the now-demolished training school functioned as the only high school for blacks in Buckingham County. Emphasizing training, the school instructed male students in skilled trades, while female students learned homemaking, cooking, and child rearing skills. The property notably features a standing affiliated shop building, built in 1932 and one of only 11 Rosenwald-funded shops constructed in Virginia. Within these shops, male students were trained in agriculture and skilled trades. The Buckingham Training School closed in 1954, when a new, segregated Carter G. Woodson High School opened. Soon afterwards, the training school re-opened as Steven J. Ellis Elementary School, which closed in 1964.

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

Updated: February 22, 2021