Near Haymarket in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Thoroughfare Colored/North Fork School
Leopold's Preserve
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 2, 2021
1. The Thoroughfare Colored / North Fork School Marker
Notice the dot on the You Are Here map. This was where one of the first public schools for Prince William County's African-American children was established, and it stood just inside the northwest corner of this property.
In October 1884, Frank Fletcher, who had constructed many of the houses in the town of Thoroughfare, gathered the names of 60 African-American childrens who could not attend the white school. Residents petitioned the county and the North Fork School was opened in 1885 on land donated by the Primas family. Although the county funded the school, local residents completed most of the construction.
The one-room school measured 18 feet by 28 feet. Within 12 years the building was too small for the number of students enrolled, so Thoroughfare's African American citizens added a second floor. At some point of the school became known as the North Fork School because of its location along the North Fork of Broad Run. The school operated until 1936, when Thoroughfare's African-American children were bussed to nearby Antioch-Northfork Elementary School.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1884.
Location. 38° 49.028′ N, 77° 40.521′ W. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Water Fowl And Their Habitat (here, next to this marker); The Battle of Thoroughfare Gap & Chapman's Mill (here, next to this marker); Antioch-McCrae African American School (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Farm Life (approx. Ό mile away); Free People Of Color At Thoroughfare (approx. Ό mile away); Aldo Leopold (approx. 1.2 miles away); On Hallowed Ground (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Battle of Buckland Mills (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Haymarket.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 2, 2021
2. Display along the trail with several plaques
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 850 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
