Harrisonburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Park School

1918 - 1967

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 17, 2020

1. Park School Marker

Inscription. This is the site of the second Park School that was built in 1929. The original building was located northeast of here at the edge of Park Woods. It began as Eastern Mennonite Elementary School but later became part of the Rockingham County Public School System in 1921. The school was unofficially integrated in 1964 when the children of the Ewell family moved into this neighborhood. Principal Jon Scott Bender accepted the Ewells in spite of Virginia's Massive Resistance laws that would have prevented their enrollment, stating to his collegues, "I will not send them home." Park School closed in 1967 in order to consolidate the County elementary schools. This Park School water fountain stands as a monument to the generations of students who were educated here.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.

Location. 38° 28.297′ N, 78° 52.573′ W. Marker is in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is on Parkwood Drive (Virginia Route 1124) 0.1 miles east of Park Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 952 Parkwood Dr, Harrisonburg VA 22802, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Shenandoah Valley.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lucy F. Simms (approx. 1½ miles away); 9-11 Memorial (approx. 1½ miles away); Resilience Amid Resistance (approx. 1½ miles away); Lucy Frances Simms (approx. 1½ miles away); Edgar Amos Love (approx. 1.6 miles away); Urban Water Movement (approx. 1.6 miles away); Harrisonburg (approx. 1.6 miles away); a different marker also named Rockingham County Vietnam Memorial (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisonburg.

Another marker is no

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 17, 2020

2. Park School Marker

longer nearby. Rockingham County Vietnam Memorial (was approx. 1.6 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Additional commentary.
1. Spelling on the marker
The spelling of collegues has been taken verbatim from the marker.

— Submitted November 4, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 555 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 18, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.