Lottsburg in Northumberland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Holley Graded School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 30, 2009

1. Holley Graded School Marker

Inscription. In 1868, Caroline Putnam (1826–1917) established a school for the children of former slaves here. In 1869, her lifelong friend, Sallie Holley (1818–1893) of N.Y., abolitionist and suffragette, purchased this two-acre site. Holley was an agent of the American Anti-Slavery Society from 1851 to 1870. In 1917 this site was deeded to a board of eleven local black trustees. The third school built here was begun in 1914 and completed in 1933 with funds raised solely within the black community. The four room structure was the largest black elementary school in Northumberland County. Since 1917 Holley Graded School has remained under the trustees’ control.

Erected 1996 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-48.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 37° 57.78′ N, 76° 31.17′ W. Marker is in Lottsburg, Virginia, in Northumberland County. It is on Northumberland Highway (U.S. 360), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2439 Northumberland Hwy, Lottsburg VA 22511, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Northern Neck.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Cherry Point and Cowart’s Wharf (approx. 0.7 miles away); Coan Baptist Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); British Raids on the Coan River (approx. 2.1 miles away); Chambers Stamp Factory (approx. 2½ miles away); The Rev. Paymus Nutt (approx. 3 miles away); Greater love hath no man than this (approx. 3.1 miles away); John Heath (approx. 3.6 miles away); St. Stephen’s Parish (approx. 3.9 miles away).

Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. “It remains largely unaltered today, featuring unusually fine detailing, including classrooms with walls and ceilings sheathed in ornamental sheetmetal. Handsome and commodious, Holley School is a testament to the perseverance, independence, and self-sufficiency of Lottsburg’s blacks during a period of racial segregation and unequal opportunity, a time when schools available to blacks were patently inferior to those available to whites. Erected to replace a smaller Reconstruction–era schoolhouse, Holley School continues to be owned and operated by a board of trustees comprised of local blacks. Because it was sustained during most of its history by private funds rather than the white-controlled school system, Holley School is a source of particular local pride.” (Submitted on September 17, 2009.)

The Holley Graded School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 30, 2009

2. The Holley Graded School

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,415 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 17, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.