253-0070 Douglass High School

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 10/09/1991

NRHP Listing Date 09/24/1992

NRHP Reference Number 92001274

Douglass High School symbolizes the quiet tenacity and sense of purpose maintained by Loudoun County’s African Americans in their determination to secure a high standard of secondary education for their children. The school stands on land in the town of Leesburg purchased by the parents for their children and presented to the county school board in 1940. Though the building was paid for with public funds, the black community raised money for furnishings, laboratory equipment, and band instruments. Named for Frederick Douglass, a former slave and prominent abolitionist, the school operated as the county’s first and only black high school from its opening in 1941 until 1968 with the termination of segregated education in 1968. The building went on to house an alternative school, serving students with special needs.

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: February 18, 2021