College Hill in Lynchburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

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

1. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Marker

Inscription. African American community leaders petitioned Lynchburg’s school board for a new high school to serve black students early in the 1920s. Named for poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the school opened here in 1923. Shop, home economics, and administration buildings were later constructed. Clarence W. Seay, principal from 1938 to 1968, recruited a dedicated faculty and expanded the curriculum. Counselor Pauline Weeden Maloney guided many graduates to major universities. The school’s cultural, literary, and athletic programs made it a focal point for the African American community. Dunbar became a junior high school in 1970-71, and the original building was demolished in 1979.

Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-6-35.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.

Location. 37° 24.502′ N, 79° 8.831′ W. Marker is in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is in College Hill. Marker is at the intersection of 12th Street and Polk Street, on the left when traveling west on 12th Street. It is at Dunbar Middle School for

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Innovation. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lynchburg VA 24504, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Dunbar High School (a few steps from this marker); Micajah Davis House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Virginia Teachers Association (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lynchburg Civil War Hospitals (approx. 0.2 miles away); Diamond Hill Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jackson Street United Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); N.B. Handy House (approx. ¼ mile away); Inner Defenses (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lynchburg.

Also see . . .
1. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities article in the African American Historic Sites Database. “As the 1930s progressed, African Americans moved into teaching and administrative roles at Dunbar High School. Clarence Williams Seay became the first African-American principal of the school, serving in that position from 1938 until his retirement in 1968. Under Mr. Seay’s leadership, the school continued to excel academically, focusing on meeting the needs of all African-American children in Lynchburg and offering cultural, athletic, and educational community programs. General education

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

2. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Marker

and vocational courses were added to the curriculum, leading to increased enrollment and graduation rates. The new curriculum became fully accredited by the 1950s.” (Submitted on June 16, 2017.)

2. Wikipedia entry for Paul Laurence Dunbar. Excerpt: “Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was an American poet, novelist, and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began to write stories and verse when still a child and was president of his high school’s literary society. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper.

“Much of Dunbar’s more popular work in his lifetime was written in the Negro dialect associated with the antebellum South, though he also used the Midwestern regional dialect of James Whitcomb Riley. Dunbar’s work was praised by William Dean Howells, a leading editor associated with the Harper’s Weekly, and Dunbar was one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation. He wrote the lyrics for the musical comedy In Dahomey (1903), the first all-African-American musical produced on Broadway. The musical later also toured in the United States and the United Kingdom.

“Dunbar also wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels; since

Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation — Home of the Poets image. Click for full size.

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

3. Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation — Home of the Poets

the late 20th century, scholars have become more interested in these other works. Suffering from tuberculosis, Dunbar died at the age of 33.” (Submitted on June 16, 2017.)

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), poet, writer image. Click for full size.

Via Wikipedia Commons, 1890

4. Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), poet, writer

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 616 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 16, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.