Amelia Court House in Amelia County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School

Amelia Court House, Virginia

— Amelia County —

Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

1. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School Marker

Inscription. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and the Russell Grove School were established as a result of the efforts of Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil, a Presbyterian missionary and teacher of African American children after the Civil War. At first the school was primitive, with rough walls, boards painted black to act as chalkboards, and no desks. Parents pooled funds to pay the teachers and a man to cut wood for the wood stove, the school's only source of heat. The curriculum for the school from 1865 to well into the 20th century consisted of reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling, rhetoric, history, and physiology. As the school grew, a new building was constructed in 1892 in nearby Burkeville. Renamed Ingleside Seminary, it provided education for young African American women of both Amelia and Nottoway counties. In 1933 construction on Russell Grove High School for African Americans began on land purchased by the students' parents. Until then, Ingleside Seminary was the only place for African Americans in Amelia County to receive a secondary education. By 1950 Russell Grove High School's curriculum had grown to include vocational and

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college preparatory classes, with drama, athletics, and a variety of student clubs. It had 14 faculty members and 227 students that year. In 1956 a consolidated elementary school for African Americans, also named Russell Grove, was built across the road from the high school, marking the end of one- and two-room schools in Amelia County. When desegregation arrived in Amelia in 1969, Russell Grove Elementary School had 1,150 children in its integrated classes.

Erected by Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. (Marker Number AM1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. In addition, it is included in the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 37° 20.057′ N, 77° 59.324′ W. Marker is in Amelia Court House, Virginia, in Amelia County. It is on Otterburn Road (Virginia Route 614) 0.1 miles south of Leidig Street ( Route 634), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8701 Otterburn Rd,

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

2. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School Marker

Amelia Court House VA 23002, 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 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: Lee's Retreat (approx. half a mile away); Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil (approx. 0.6 miles away); William Branch Giles (approx. 0.6 miles away); Marion Harland (approx. 0.6 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); Philip F. Boepple Building (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Amelia Court House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Confederate Dead (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amelia Court House.

Other markers no longer nearby. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School

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(has been replaced with this marker); a different marker also named Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Amelia Court House (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location also titled "Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School".

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 576 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.