Near Gum Spring in Louisa County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Shady Grove (Rosenwald) School

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

1. Shady Grove (Rosenwald) School Marker

Inscription. African Americans in this area organized a patrons' league and campaigned in the 1920s for a new school to replace the inadequate facility then in use. Shady Grove School, built on a standard one-teacher architectural plan, opened here in 1925 for students in grades 1-7. Funding for the building came from the African American community ($700), Louisa County ($400), and the Julius Rosenwald Fund ($400). The Rosenwald Fund, established by the president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and inspired by the work of Booker T. Washington, helped build more than 5,000 schools and supporting structures for African Americans in the rural South between 1917 and 1932. Shady Grove School closed in 1962.

Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-243.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location. 37° 45.585′ N, 77° 52.605′ W. Marker is near Gum Spring, Virginia, in Louisa County. It is on Three Chopt Road (Virginia Route 634) 0.1 miles west of Broad Street Road (U.S. 250), on the right

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when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2924 Three Chopt Rd, Gum Spring VA 23065, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

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 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Providence Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Central High School (approx. 3 miles away); Virginia's Center of Population (approx. 3.6 miles away); Beaverdam Episcopal Church (approx. 4.3 miles away); Freedom of Choice (approx. 4.6 miles away); Byrd Presbyterian Church (approx. 4.7 miles away); The Lock-Keeper's House (approx. 5.1 miles away); Bolling Hall (approx. 5.3 miles away).

The Shady Grove School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021

2. The Shady Grove School

Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 654 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.