Heathsville in Northumberland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Holley-Graded School
The Rosenwald Schools
Following the Civil War, Jim Crow laws were passed to establish "separate but equal" schools for Black and White children. The few Black schools that were created proved woefully inadequate.
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington teamed up to right the inequality.
The philanthropist and the educator combined forces to establish an innovative program to fund the building of rural Black schools. Rosenwald provided seed moneyno more than half the total cost of the project. The rest had to be matched by funds raised in the community.
At first, small wooden one-or two-teacher elementary schools were built. Later, larger schools constructed of brick offered instruction from first grate through high school. The plans reflected the latest thinking in school design and would go on to influence school designers across America.
Julius Rosenwald Originally known as Northumberland County Training School, this institution opened in 1917, under principal John M. Ellison, Local African Americans raised more than $7,000 to build the school and received additional funding from the Rosenwald
SchoolFund. Julius Rosenwald, chairman of the board of directors of Sears Roebuck and Co., created this fund in 1917 to finance the building of rural southern schools for blacks. Some 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built in 15 states, including 308 in Virginia. On 12 Nov. 1932, under its principal the Reverend Dr. Henry M. Ruffin, the school was renamed the Julius Rosenwald High School. It closed in 1958.
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Department of Historic Resources, 2000
A Landmark in Virginia Education
The Rosenwald Fund began to finance projects in Virginia in 1917. between 1917 and 1932, Rosenwald funds helped build over 300 schools and support buildings across the state. The Northumberland County Training School in Reedville opened in 1917. As the only Black training/secondary school in the county, it attracted students from as far away as 30 miles. Renamed the Julius Rosenwald High School in 1932, it closed in 1958 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Holley Graded School in Lottsburg
Abolitionist Sallie Holley bought the land for Holley School in 1869. The school she would build with her friend and fellow educator Caroline Putnam
Holley wrote the following to a friend:
There are seven hundred people in this town. Our school keeps [open] from Christmas to Christmas, without vacation, the year round most of our scholars are intermittents, for they have to work nearly all summer in these immense cornfields. But by keeping the doors of school ever open, hundreds have learned to read and write
Today Holley School is a Virginia Historic site. Dedicated to the education of Black children in Northumberland County, the four-room structure now serves as a museum and adult education facility.
Hello! My name is Henry and I am seven years old. It is 1873 and I go to Holley Graded School.
I learned to write my letters and now our teacher Miss Caroline is teaching us to spell. She brings in pictures of animals. Not cows and pigs like you see on farms. Animals you never see-like tigers and elephants.
And I can spell them!
Miss Caroline brags on me and she even gave me a treat. Just because I got an A.
[Captions:]
Philanthropist
Julius Rosenwald (left) was the son of German-Jewish immigrants. He made his fortune as the president of Sears, Roebuck & Company.
Educator
Booker T. Washington (right) was born a slave. He rose to establish the Tuskegee Institute and serve as an advisor to American presidents.
Erected by Northumberland Public Library.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 12, 1932.
Location. 37° 54.891′ N, 76° 28.166′ W. Marker is in Heathsville, Virginia, in Northumberland County. It can be reached from Northumberland Highway (U.S. 360) east of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 201), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 Courthouse Rd, Heathsville VA 22473, 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, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: The Small Fish that Made Reedville Rich (here, next to this marker); Hooray for Steamboats! / Meet Daisy / The Amazon of Its Day (within shouting distance of this marker); Necessity and the Mothers of Invention (within shouting distance of this marker); The Stars Are Falling! The Stars Are Falling! (within shouting distance of this marker); Who Invented the Crab Pot (within shouting distance of this marker); Chesapeake Bay Watermen (within shouting distance of this marker); The Long Road to Today's Library (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northumberland County (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Heathsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 10, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A link to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form citing the school's historical significance. • Can you help?
