Powhatan in Powhatan County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Pocahontas High School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 21, 2017

1. Pocahontas High School Marker

Inscription. Powhatan County established Powhatan Training School one mile southeast in 1931 to offer upper level courses to African American students. In 1937 on this site the county built a brick high school for African Americans at a cost of about $40,000. The Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, a New Deal agency, granted $18,000 for the project. Additional support came from the Virginia Board of Education’s Literary Fund and the Southern Education Foundation, which aided African American schools across the South. The building was named Pocahontas High School in 1941 and Pocahontas Middle School in 1969, when county schools were desegregated.

Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-71.)

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 1937.

Location. 37° 33.474′ N, 77° 56.888′ W. Marker is in Powhatan, Virginia, in Powhatan County. It is on Anderson Highway (U.S. 60) west of Maidens Road (U.S. 522), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Powhatan VA 23139, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

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

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other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Giles's Home (approx. 0.4 miles away); Emmanuel Episcopal Church (approx. half a mile away); Belmead (approx. 1.3 miles away); The Powhatan Troop (approx. 2 miles away); Memorial to Powhatan Servicemen (approx. 2 miles away); The Courthouse Tavern / Atkinson's Hotel / The Village (approx. 2 miles away); Powhatan Courthouse (approx. 2 miles away); Powhatan Court House (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Powhatan.

Also see . . . Historical marker dedicated to Pocahontas High School in Powhatan. 2015 article by John Reid Blackwell in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Janet Carter, a member of the Pocahontas High School Class of 1967, remembers the rural school in Powhatan County as ‘a gathering place for the community and social events, and a good place to attend school.’ Demetrius Venable was in the Class of 1966 and now teaches at Howard University in Washington. He grew up next door to Pocahontas, ‘so it was home, and a playground, and a school,’ he said. Both of them visited the school again Saturday for the unveiling of a state historical marker commemorating its history. About 100 Pocahontas High School graduates and other guests, students and teachers attended the event.” (Submitted on August 31, 2017.)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 21, 2017

2. Pocahontas High School Marker

Pocahontas School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 21, 2017

3. Pocahontas School

Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,151 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 31, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.