Amelia Court House in Amelia County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
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Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School
Amelia Court House, Virginia
— Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail® —
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, March 18, 2010
1. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School CRIEHT Marker
Inscription.
Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School. Amelia Court House, Virginia. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and the Russell Grove School were established as a result of the efforts of Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil, a Presbyterian missionary and teacher of African-American children after the Civil War. At first the school was primitive, with rough walls, boards painted black to act as chalkboards and no desks. Parents joined to pay the teachers and a man to cut wood for the woodstove, the school's only source of heat. The curriculum for the school from 1865 to well into the 20th century consisted of reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, rhetoric, history, and physiology. As the school grew, a new building was constructed in 1892 in nearby Burkville. Renamed the Ingleside Seminary, it provided education for young African-American women of both Amelia and Nottoway counties. In 1933 Russell Grove High School for African Americans was built and opened on land purchased by the student's parents. Until then, Ingleside Seminary was the only place African Americans in Amelia County to receive a secondary education. By 1950 the Russell Grove High School's curriculum had grown to include vocational and college preparatory classes, with drama, athletics, and a variety of student clubs. It had 14 faculty members and 227 students. In 1956 a consolidated elementary school for African Americans, also named Russell Grove, was built across the road from the high school, marking the end of the one- and two-room schools in Amelia County. When desegregation arrived in Amelia in 1969, the Russell Grove Elementary School became Amelia County Elementary School, with 1150 children in its integrated classes.
Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and the Russell Grove School were established as a result of the efforts of Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil, a Presbyterian missionary and teacher of African-American children after the Civil War. At first the school was primitive, with rough walls, boards painted black to act as chalkboards and no desks. Parents joined to pay the teachers and a man to cut wood for the woodstove, the school's only source of heat. The curriculum for the school from 1865 to well into the 20th century consisted of reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, rhetoric, history, and physiology. As the school grew, a new building was constructed in 1892 in nearby Burkville. Renamed the Ingleside Seminary, it provided education for young African-American women of both Amelia and Nottoway counties. In 1933 Russell Grove High School for African Americans was built and opened on land purchased by the student's parents. Until then, Ingleside Seminary was the only place African Americans in Amelia County to receive a secondary education. By 1950 the Russell Grove High School's curriculum had grown to include vocational and college preparatory classes, with drama, athletics, and a variety of student clubs. It had 14 faculty members and 227 students. In 1956 a consolidated elementary school for African Americans, also named Russell Grove,
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was built across the road from the high school, marking the end of the one- and two-room schools in Amelia County. When desegregation arrived in Amelia in 1969, the Russell Grove Elementary School became Amelia County Elementary School, with 1150 children in its integrated classes.
Erected by Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail®. (Marker Number 9.)
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 20.056′ N, 77° 59.326′ W. Marker was in Amelia Court House, Virginia, in Amelia County. Marker was on Otterburn Road (Virginia Route 614) 0.1 miles south of Leidig Street (Virginia Route 634), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 8701 Otterburn Rd, Amelia Court House VA 23002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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2. Carver-Price School
3. Education in 1800's Rural Virginia
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4. One-Room Schoolhouse
5. Carter G. Woodson Birthplace
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6. Hamilton High School
7. Rosenwald School at Cartersville
8. Jackson Davis
Amelia County
9. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School
10. Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil
Chesterfield County
11. Virginia State University
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12. Earliest Known Public High School for African Americans in Virginia
13. McKenney Library
14. The Peabody-Williams School
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15. Southside Virginia Training Center
16. Rocky Branch School
17. Early Education in Dinwiddie County
Nottoway County
18. Blackstone Female Institute
19. Mt. Nebo Church
20. Ingleside Training Institute
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22. St. Matthew's Lutheran Church Christian Day School
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23. Prince Edward County Public Schools
24. R. R. Moton High School
25. Farmville Female Seminary Association
26. First Baptist Church
27. Beulah AME Church
28. Hampden-Sydney College
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29. Southside Virginia Community College - John H. Daniel Campus
30. Charlotte County Library
31. Salem School
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32. Meadville Community Center
33. Mary M. Bethune High School
34. Washington-Coleman Elementary School
35. Mizpah Church
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36. Thyne Institute
37. Boydton Academic and Bible Institute
Brunswick County
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More about this marker. On the upper left is a photo with the caption, "(Above) The original Russell Grove Church."
On the lower left is a photo with the caption, "(Left) A typical Amelia County School, 1940."
On the upper right is a photo with the caption "(Above Right) Russell Grove High School, completed in 1935."
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New Marker At This Location also titled "Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School".
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 21, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,961 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 21, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.