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. It is on

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St John Road (Virginia Route 640) one mile south of Gordonsville Road (Route 231), on the right when traveling 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.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

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); 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.

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

2. St. John School — Rosenwald Funded Marker

4.4 miles away); Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Marquis Road (approx. 4.9 miles away); Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2347 (approx. 5 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Revolutionary War Campaign of 1781 (was approx. 1.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. St. John School – Rosenwald Funded. Piedmont Environmental Council website entry (Submitted on June 25, 2026, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

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

St. John School image. Click for full size.

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

3. St. John School

enterprise in cooperation between citizens and officials, white and colored.’” (Submitted on April 9, 2017.)

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 June 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,122 times since then and 110 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 9, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.