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

Sunset Hill School

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 17, 2021

1. Sunset Hill School Marker

Inscription. The Queen Street School, one of the first schools in Shenandoah County for African Americans, had opened in Strasburg by 1875. After a fire in 1929, a new school known as Sunset Hill was built here ca. 1930 to serve grades 1-7. Because the county had no high school for African American students, graduates had to go elsewhere to attend higher grades. African Americans petitioned for better facilities, and the school board considered building a new segregated elementary school as late as 1962, eight years after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that public school segregation was unconstitutional. Sunset Hill closed in 1964 when Shenandoah County schools were fully desegregated.

Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number AB 4.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.

Location. 38° 59.604′ N, 78° 21.94′ W. Marker is in Strasburg, Virginia, in Shenandoah County. It

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

is on Sunset Street 0.1 miles west of Capon Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 348 Sunset St, Strasburg VA 22657, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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 walking distance of this marker: Historic Strasburg (approx. ¼ mile away); Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Historic Strasburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Open House (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Historic Strasburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Historic Strasburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Stonewall's Surprise

Sunset Hill School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 17, 2021

2. Sunset Hill School

(approx. 0.3 miles away); Sonner House (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Strasburg.

Other markers no longer nearby. Historic Strasburg (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Historic Strasburg (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Historic Strasburg (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Additional keywords. segregation, Jim Crow era

Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 592 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 17, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.