Crewe in Nottoway County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Luther H. Foster High School
This school, built at a cost of more than $600,000 provided secondary education to Black students from 1950 until 1970, when Nottoway County fully desegregated its schools. Although planning for the new high school had begun by 1946, the county proceeded with urgency in 1948 after a federal court ruled for the plaintiffs in equalization lawsuits elsewhere in VA. The school was named for Halifax County native Dr. Luther Hilton Foster (1888-1949), a nationally known figure in Black higher education and former president of what is now Virginia State University. Despite racial discrimination, many graduates became educators, attorneys, physicians, civil servants, and military service members.
Erected 2023 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number M-44.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1950.
Location. 37° 7.455′ N, 78° 3.985′ W. Marker is
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Southside Virginia, and specifically in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Luther H. Foster High School (within shouting distance of this marker); Nottoway Confederate Soldiers Monument (approx. 0.8 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Nottoway Court House
Other markers no longer nearby. Nottoway Court House (was approx. 0.8 miles away but has been permanently removed); Mount Nebo Church (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Battle of Nottoway (was approx. 2 miles away but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Battle of Nottoway (was approx. 2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
