Mount Airy in Surry County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The L.H. Jones Auditorium
Photographed by Mark Parker, December 30, 2024
1. The L.H. Jones Auditorium Marker
Auditorium
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Built in 1947-1948 largely by students under the instruction of trowel trades instructor E.T.Sellars
Owned and managed by the
JJ. Jones High School Alumni Chapter
Erected by United States Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education.
Location. 36° 31.858′ N, 80° 36.175′ W. Marker is in Mount Airy, North Carolina, in Surry County. It can be reached from Jones School Road (State Road 1064) west of Apostle Drive, on the left when traveling west. The marker is on the north facing exterior wall of the auditorium. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 213 Jones School Rd, Mount Airy NC 27030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Graves House (approx. one mile away); 90 MM Gun Tank M47 Patton (approx. 1.3 miles away); Edgar Harvey Hennis House (approx. 1.3 miles away); R. R. Galloway House (approx. 1.7 miles away); Rufus Haymore House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Trinity Episcopal Church (approx. 2 miles away); The J.D. Smith Building (approx. 2 miles away); The Andy Griffith Plaza (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Airy.
More about this marker. The L.H. Jones Auditorium is a contributing building of the J.J. Jones High School historic site. Jones High School was the only high school for black students in Surry County when it opened in 1936. It remained open for 30 years until the onset
Photographed by Mark Parker, December 30, 2024
2. The L.H. Jones Auditorium. Marker indicated by the arrow
Regarding The L.H. Jones Auditorium. Excerpts from the J. J. Jones High School Nomination Form:
On invitation, Winston-Salem teacher John Jarvis Jones and his wife, Ora, moved to Mount Airy in 1914 to help better the education for black youth there. Jones established the Virginia Street Elementary School, and he, his wife, their daughter, Geraldineall of whom were college graduatesand Fred Davis taught at the school, making great strides in improving the educational outlook for the black children in the area. Joness ultimate goal was to create a high school, as there was not one for black students in all of Surry County and parts of neighboring Stokes County and Patrick County, Virginia. However, he died in 1933 before achieving his dream. The school continued, and in 1936, the Joneses youngest child, Leonidas Harold, who had just graduated cum laude from West Virginia State College, was asked to organize a high school, first known as Mount Airy Colored High School, and serve as its lead teacher and then its principal.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed by Mark Parker, December 30, 2024
3. Full view of the J.J. Jones High School
The former high school is now the L.H. Jones Family Resource Center
Photographed by Mark Parker, December 30, 2024
4. L.H. Jones Statue and Marker, located at The Whittling Wall in downtown Mt. Airy
Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 473 times since then and 135 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 2, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
