South Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Apprentice School

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

1. The Apprentice School Marker

Inscription. The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, founded in 1886, quickly became one of the nation's foremost builders of military and commercial ships. An informal apprenticeship program for the training of employees was in place by the 1890s. On 1 July 1919, company president Homer L. Ferguson signed Executive Order 24 formally establishing The Apprentice School. The shipyard paid its apprentices to attend academic classes and to receive training in shipbuilding trades, with a focus on craftsmanship, scholarship, and leadership. More than 10,000 students have graduated from the program. This is the fifth building to house The Apprenticeship School.

Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-171.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1919.

Location. 36° 58.908′ N, 76° 25.979′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in South Newport News. It is

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on Washington Avenue just south of 32nd Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3101 Washington Ave, Newport News VA 23607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

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 walking distance of this marker: Newport News First High School (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); West Avenue Library (about 700 feet away); USS Nimitz (approx. 0.2 miles away); SS United States (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dorothy (approx. 0.2 miles away); USS Newport News

The (Current) Apprentice School Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

2. The (Current) Apprentice School Building

(approx. 0.2 miles away); USS Virginia (approx. 0.2 miles away); USS Atlantic (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 854 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.