Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd

Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd. Broadnax, Virginia. Though many freed African Americans continued after the Civil War to work the same farms on which they had been slaves, many also left their homes in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Often the sick, elderly, and very young were left behind, with no way to care for themselves and thus placing a burden on local governments. Concerned by the plight of these African Americans, Mrs. Pattie Hicks Buford (b. 1836), wife of Judge F.E. Buford, first built "The Chapel in the Woods" to nurse the increasing number of sick and elderly African American in her community. In 1883, she built the Church Home for the Aged, Infirm, and Disabled Colored People, a full-fledged hospital in Brunswick County. The Mission Rooms Bible House in New York initially sponsored the hospital. A few years later, when it withdrew its support, Mrs. Buford often toured the North, visiting with wealthy and influential friends to raise money for her work. In 1891 the hospital was destroyed by fire, but her supporters contributed enough to rebuild it, as well as to build an orphanage, known as the School of the Good Shepherd. Mrs. Buford died in 1901. The orphanage and hospital remained in operation until 1907. The hospital has since been renovated, and the building in which the hospital operated was later used for several years as a bed and breakfast, known as the Three Angels Inn, until transitioning to a private residence. The school and orphanage are still standing next door.