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

Belmead

Photographed by Jeremy Marc Dukes, June 27, 2024

1. Belmead Marker

Inscription. Belmead, the home of planter Philip St. George Cocke four miles north, was designed by Alexander J. Davis in 1845 and built with enslaved African Americans' labor. Louise Drexel Morrell and her sister, Katharine Drexel—founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and a saint of the Catholic Church—were instrumental in establishing two schools there in the 1890s. St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural Institute (later St. Emma Military Academy), for many decades the nation's only military school for African American young men, and St. Francis de Sales High School for Black and Native American young women educated thousands of students from across the U.S. and abroad before closing in the 1970s.

Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-85.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1845.

Location. 37° 33.878′ N, 77° 58.188′ W. Marker is in Powhatan, Virginia, in Powhatan County. It is at the intersection of Anderson Highway (U.S. 60) and Lockin Road, on the right when traveling east on Anderson Highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4601 Anderson Highway, Powhatan VA 23139, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pocahontas High School (approx. 1.3 miles away); Giles's Home (approx. 1.7 miles away); Emmanuel Episcopal Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); Mohemenco (A Monacan Village) and Drake House (approx. 2.1 miles away); Dunlora Academy (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Powhatan Troop (approx. 3.2 miles away); Memorial to Powhatan Servicemen (approx. 3.2 miles away); Powhatan Courthouse (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Powhatan.

Also see . . . Virginia Landmarks Register Entry for Belmead. The Department of Historic Resources entry for Belmead, which includes photographs of the buildings on property. (Submitted on April 18, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.)

Additional commentary.
1. See Also...
The Department of Historic Resources entry for Belmead, which includes photographs of the buildings on property here: https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/072-0049/

— Submitted March 13, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 28, 2026

2. Belmead Marker

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 28, 2026

3. Belmead Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2024, by Jeremy Marc Dukes of Farmville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 422 times since then and 59 times this year. Last updated on February 27, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on July 2, 2024, by Jeremy Marc Dukes of Farmville, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on March 13, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.