Marion in Smyth County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Carnegie High School

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 22, 2022

1. Carnegie High School Marker

Inscription. The Rev. Amos Carnegie came to Marion by 1927 as pastor of Mount Pleasant Methodist Church. Finding the town's school for African Americans “hardly fit for a stable,” he organized a campaign for a new building. When the school board delayed, Carnegie raised money from the black community and secured a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which supported more than 5,000 schools for black students across the South. The four-teacher building, constructed by black craftsmen who donated their labor, opened in 1931 and closed in 1965, when local schools were desegregated. Katherine Johnson, who later made crucial contributions to the U.S. space program at NASA, taught here for several years.

Erected 2019 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KD-16.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.

Location. 36° 49.713′ N, 81° 30.924′ W. Marker is in Marion,

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Virginia, in Smyth County. It is at the intersection of South Iron Street and Walnut Street, on the left when traveling north on South Iron Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 602 S Iron St, Marion VA 24354, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. 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: Southwestern State Mental Hospital (approx. 0.4 miles away); Marion College (approx. 0.4 miles away); Marion Musical Heritage Mural (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Carnegie High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Look & Lincoln Wagon Factory

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 22, 2022

2. Carnegie High School Marker

(approx. 0.4 miles away); Hungry Mother State Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lt. Col. Garland York (approx. 0.4 miles away); R.T. Greer & Company (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marion.

Regarding Carnegie High School. Johnson's distinguished career began in 1937, when the then-19-year-old took her first job as a teacher at Carnegie School. She later worked for 33 years as a mathematician at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Her contributions to NASA's space program in the 1960s was the subject of the 2016 film Hidden Figures. She was 101 when she died in February, 2020.

Former Carnegie High School Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 22, 2022

3. Former Carnegie High School Building

Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,028 times since then and 134 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 7, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.