Old Town West in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Parker-Gray High School

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2016

1. Parker-Gray High School Marker

Inscription. Parker-Gray School opened on Wythe Street in 1920 to serve African American students in grades 1-8. Until upper-level classes were added in 1932, African Americans had to travel to the District of Columbia to attend high school. Civil rights attorney Charles Houston and other activists later persuaded the City of Alexandria to construct its first high school building for African Americans, and Parker-Gray High School opened on this site in 1950. Court-ordered desegregation began in 1959. The last class graduated from the high school in 1965. Parker-Gray Historic District bears the school’s name.

Erected 2008 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-137.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.

Location. 38° 48.829′ N, 77° 3.077′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Old Town West. It is on Madison Street. The marker stands in the Old Town West neighborhood of Alexandria. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1201 Madison Street, Alexandria VA 22314, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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

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of this marker: Colored Rosemont (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad (about 600 feet away); Earl Francis Lloyd (about 700 feet away); War, Rails, and Wells (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Student-Athletes of Parker-Gray High School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ramsey Homes (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Memorial Pool (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First Parker-Gray School (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2016

2. Parker-Gray High School Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,228 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 23, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.