Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Christian Home School

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Christian Home School Marker

Inscription. African Americans prioritized education after Emancipation, and many attended one-or two-room schools built alongside churches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Christian Home School was built eight miles south of here, near Christian Home Baptist Church, in 1926-27. Funding for the one - room building came from the Black community, Isle of Wight County and Julius Rosenwald, whose partnership with Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute led to the construction of more than 5.000 schools for African Americans across the South. An addition to Christian Home School was built ca. 1932. This addition was moved to Smithfield in 2005 and opened as the Schoolhouse Museum in 2007.

Erected 2024 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-177.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.

Location. 36° 58.706′ N, 76° 38.324′ W. Marker is in Smithfield, Virginia, in Isle of Wight County. It is at the intersection of Main Street

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(Business U.S. 258) and Church Manor Trail, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 516 Main Street, Smithfield VA 23430, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Atkinson Storehouse (approx. 0.3 miles away); Old Isle of Wight Courthouse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Law & Politics in 18th Century Isle of Wight (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ivy Hill Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); Bricks in the Crosswalk (approx. half a mile away); Isle of Wight County War Memorial

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Christian Home School Marker

(approx. half a mile away); The Todd House & the First Smithfield Ham (approx. 0.6 miles away); Founding Site of Smithfield Packing Company (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Smithfield.

More about this marker. While the marker has a 2022 date on its face, it was erected in 2024 and dedicated on February 25, 2024.

Also see . . .
1. Smithfield’s Christian Home School receives historical mark. (Submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. The Schoolhouse Museum. (Submitted on March 26, 2024.)

The Schoolhouse Museum Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

3. The Schoolhouse Museum Sign

Virginia History Trails Official Site Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

4. Virginia History Trails Official Site Sign

Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 189 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.