Jennie Serepta Dean

Jennie Serepta Dean. The Manassas Industrial School Historic Site. , Though little known outside of Manassas, Jennie Serepta Dean was a significant figure in the field of education during the waning years of the nineteenth century. Born enslaved in 1848 in Prince William County, Dean received only a basic education in the years following the Civil War. Unable to attend school on a regular basis, she took a job in Washington, D.C. as a paid domestic servant in order to earn money to help her family. During these years, Dean also founded several churches, including one in Prince William County., Seeing many young African-Americans struggle with low paying jobs and little opportunity for advancement, Dean resolved to build a school to teach not only the basics in education but also skilled trades. For three years she labored to bring attention and funding to her cause. Dean's efforts were realized when the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth opened in 1893., Jennie Dean died after suffering a stroke on May 3, 1913. She was buried beside Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, a church that she helped found. The City of Manassas, with the help of numerous individuals and groups, erected a statue in her honor in 2020. She stands tall over the grounds of the school she helped found, a reminder of the hard work and dedication she devoted to the cause of education., (Captions) , The only known image we have of Jennie Serepta Dean was used to create the bronze sculpture that graces the campus of the Manassas Industrial School site. , , Manassas Museum Collection, Jennie Dean helped to found several churches, including Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Catharpin, Virginia. , , Courtesy of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Above , This ca. 1900 view of the Manassas Industrial School shows several of the numerous buildings that once stood on the sprawling campus., Left , Modern view of the Manassas Industrial School site. , , Manassas Museum Collection