Starr Hill in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Jefferson School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 15, 2008

1. Jefferson School Marker

Inscription.
The name Jefferson School has a long association with African American education in Charlottesville. It was first used in the 1860s in a Freedmen's Bureau school and then for a public grade school by 1894. Jefferson High School opened here in 1926 as the city’s first high school for blacks, an early accredited black high school in Virginia. The facility became Jefferson Elementary School in 1951. In 1958, some current and former Jefferson students requested transfers to two white schools. The state closed the two white schools. Their reopening in 1959 began the process of desegregation in Charlottesville. Jefferson School housed many different educational programs after integrating in 1965.

Erected 2003 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-30.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 38° 1.892′ N, 78° 29.178′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Starr Hill. It is at the intersection of 4th Street NW and Commerce Street, on the left on 4th Street NW. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charlottesville VA 22903, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Inge's Store (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (about 500 feet away); Site of Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1884 (about 600 feet away); Dedicated to You, A Free Citizen in a Free Land (about 800 feet away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Triumph of “The Charlottesville Twelve” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Together We Grow (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dogwood Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Sacajawea (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Jefferson School (Charlottesville, Virginia). Wikipedia entry (Submitted on September 17, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 15, 2008

2. Jefferson School Marker

Jefferson School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 15, 2008

3. Jefferson School

Main entrance is on Commerce Street. Marker is downhill to the right.

Replica of the Jefferson School Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 17, 2024

4. Replica of the Jefferson School Marker

It's half a mile away at the Downtown Pedestrian Mall (East Main Street) at 1st Street, near the parking garage.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,911 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 10, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4. submitted on November 12, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.