Near McKenney in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Darvills School

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 18, 2010

1. Darvill's School Marker

Inscription. A public school operated here as early as the 1880s. In 1907, three other one-room schools nearby were consolidated here as Darvills Graded School, which was expanded and made a high school in 1913. It was the heart of community activities, notably the annual Darvills Fair, which began in 1916 and continued through the 1930s. Late in 1941, as World War II approached, the U.S. government began condemning 46,000 acres here to establish Camp Pickett. The school closed in 1942 and its buildings were razed except the original graded school, which became a community center. It burned on 5 July 1998.

Erected 1999 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-69.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 5, 1998.

Location. 37° 2.26′ N, 77° 50.588′ W. Marker is near McKenney, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. Marker is on Gills Bridge Road, 0.1 miles south of Whitmore Road (Virginia Route 651), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mc Kenney VA 23872, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies

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. Butterwood Chapel (approx. 2.6 miles away); Nottoway County / Dinwiddie County (approx. 3.8 miles away); Birthplace of Roger Atkinson Pryor (approx. 5 miles away); Origins of 4-H in Virginia (approx. 5 miles away); The Burning of White Oak Methodist Church (approx. 7.2 miles away); a different marker also named Nottoway County / Dinwiddie County (approx. 7.3 miles away); Brunswick County, Virginia (approx. 7½ miles away); The Pickett Reservoir Lies Before You (approx. 7½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in McKenney.

Additional commentary.
1. Darvills High School List Of 1913-1914 6th 7th and 8th Grade Students
Darvills High School
Westboro, Dinwiddie County, Virginia
1913-1914

Myrtle A. Watson, Teacher

OFFICERS
Dr. Eugene C. Powell, Division Supt.

FACULTY
Miss Mayo Reames, Prin.
Miss Myrtle A. Watson, Asst. Prin.
Miss Clara Atkinson
Miss Bettie Lou Reames

PUPILS
6th Grade
Lorenzo Arnold
Charlie Jones
Perry Wainwright
Andrew Eastwood
Howard Wainwright
Lucy Bishop
Fannie Eckles

7th Grade
Pryor Dickerson
Robert D. Wells
Kate Lee Eckles
Elliot W. Hudgins, Jr.
Charles Eddy Woody
Rosa Nell

Darvills School Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 18, 2010

2. Darvills School Site

Laneave

8th Grade
Stanley Atkinson
Annie David
Helen McKissick
Jewelle Thomasson
Carey David
Madge Lambert
Mary Sue Sheffield
Rosa Lee Wells
Elizabeth Williams

This is from a card/pamphlet found in my grandmother's (Rosa Nell LaNeave) belongings. There is also a picture in the inside back page of a woman whom I presume to be Mrs. Watson.

— Submitted June 30, 2015, by Joseph M Neagle of Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Darvills School Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 18, 2010

3. Darvills School Memorial

A memorial to commemorate all the friends of Darvills School from the 1880s to 1942

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,179 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 23, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.