Near Cobham in Albemarle County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

St. John School — Rosenwald Funded

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 8, 2017

1. St. John School — Rosenwald Funded Marker

Inscription. The St. John School, built here in 1922–1923, served African-American students during the segregation era. Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears Roebuck and Co., collaborated with Booker T. Washington in a school-building campaign begining in 1912. The Rosenwald Fund, incorporated in 1917, helped build more than 5,000 schools and supporting structures for African Americans in the rural South by 1932. The Rosenwald Fund contributed $700 for the St. John School, while local residents donated $500 and Albemarle County provided $1,300. The two-classroom school closed during the 1950s and was later purchased by St. John Baptist Church.

Erected 2016 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number GA-48.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 38° 4.778′ N, 78° 16.593′ W. Marker is near Cobham, Virginia, in Albemarle County. Marker is on St John Road (Virginia Route 640) one mile south of Gordonsville Road (Route 231), on the right when traveling

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south. Alternatively, it is 2 miles north of Louisa Road (Virginia Route 22). Marker is at St. John Baptist Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1595 St John Rd, Gordonsville VA 22942, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Castle Hill (approx. 0.9 miles away); Revolutionary War Campaign of 1781 (approx. 1.4 miles away); Albemarle County / Louisa County (approx. 1.6 miles away); Maury’s School (approx. 2.1 miles away); Grace Episcopal Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); General Thomas Sumter (approx. 4.4 miles away); Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Marquis Road (approx. 4.9 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. History of St. John Elementary School (Rosenwald Schools of Virginia). “The idea to construct these schools started after Booker T. Washington requested that funds donated to the Tuskegee Institute by Julius Rosenwald (co-owner of Sears and Roebuck) be used to construct six schools in Alabama for African American children. After seeing the success with this effort, Rosenwald established the Julius Rosewald Fund which also required matching funds from the community.” (Submitted on April 9, 2017.)

2. Rosenwald Schools — Beacons for Black Education in the American South. “Booker

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 8, 2017

2. St. John School — Rosenwald Funded Marker

T. Washington’s vision of rural schools caught Rosenwald’s imagination. Together, the idea-man and the moneyman hammered out an early example of a now-common philanthropic tool: the matching grant. If a rural black community could scrape together a contribution, and if the white school board would agree to operate the facility, Rosenwald would contribute cash – usually about 1/5 of the total project. The aim was quietly radical, a Rosenwald Fund official later wrote; ‘not merely a series of schoolhouses, but … a community enterprise in cooperation between citizens and officials, white and colored.’” (Submitted on April 9, 2017.)

St. John School image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 8, 2017

3. St. John School

St. John Baptist Church, Cobham, Virginia image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 8, 2017

4. St. John Baptist Church, Cobham, Virginia

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 566 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 9, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.