Lawrenceville in Brunswick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Saint Paul's College and James Solomon Russell-Saint Paul's College Museum
Lawrenceville, Virginia
Brunswick County
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 27, 2021
1. Saint Paul's College and James Solomon Russell-Saint Paul's College Museum Marker
Inscription.
Saint Paul's College and James Solomon Russell-Saint Paul's College Museum. Lawrenceville, Virginia. Saint Paul's College began as a small parochial school founded by a newly ordained Episcopal deacon, the Rev. James Solomon Russell. Born into slavery, Russell attended the Bishop Payne Divinity School in Petersburg. Within a year of graduation, he had managed to raise enough funds to buy land in Brunswick County and erect a simple building on it to start his school. This two-room school building still stands today and is referred to as the Saul Building, after the Rev. James Saul of Philadelphia, an important donor to the school. By 1893, the school had grown into the Saint Paul's Normal and Industrial School. In the ensuing years, Russell traveled worldwide speaking and raising funds for the school, until his retirement in 1928. The school's name was changed to Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute in 1941, when it was granted authority to offer a four-year degree program. At that time, Russell's son, Dr. J. Alvin Russell, succeeded him as president of the college. Following on in his father's footsteps, the younger Russell continued to expand the college. In 1957, it became known as Saint Paul's College, a fully integrated four-year liberal arts arts institution, offering such courses as pre-law and pre-medicine. From 1971 to 1981, Dr. J. Alvin Russell, Jr., became the third generation of the Russell family to serve as president of the college. The college closed in 2013. The James Solomon Russell-Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives was established in 2019.
Saint Paul's College began as a small parochial school founded by a newly ordained Episcopal deacon, the Rev. James Solomon Russell. Born into slavery, Russell attended the Bishop Payne Divinity School in Petersburg. Within a year of graduation, he had managed to raise enough funds to buy land in Brunswick County and erect a simple building on it to start his school. This two-room school building still stands today and is referred to as the Saul Building, after the Rev. James Saul of Philadelphia, an important donor to the school. By 1893, the school had grown into the Saint Paul's Normal and Industrial School. In the ensuing years, Russell traveled worldwide speaking and raising funds for the school, until his retirement in 1928. The school's name was changed to Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute in 1941, when it was granted authority to offer a four-year degree program. At that time, Russell's son, Dr. J. Alvin Russell, succeeded him as president of the college. Following on in his father's footsteps, the younger Russell continued to expand the college. In 1957, it became known as Saint Paul's College, a fully integrated four-year liberal arts arts institution, offering such courses as pre-law and pre-medicine. From 1971 to 1981, Dr. J. Alvin Russell, Jr., became the third generation of the Russell family to serve as president
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of the college. The college closed in 2013. The James Solomon Russell-Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives was established in 2019.
Erected by Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. (Marker Number BR3.)
Location. 36° 45.768′ N, 77° 50.64′ W. Marker is in Lawrenceville, Virginia, in Brunswick County. It is at the intersection of Athletic Field Road and Lawrenceville Plank Road (Business U.S. 58), on the right when traveling north on Athletic Field Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 Athletic Field Rd, Lawrenceville VA 23868, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia, specifically in the Piedmont, and in Southside 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 markers no longer nearby. Brunswick County Confederate Monument (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Saint Paul's College (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd (was approx. 2.3 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 titled "Saint Paul's College".
Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 562 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
