Farnham in Richmond County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Northern Neck Industrial Academy
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 5, 2009
1. Northern Neck Industrial Academy Marker
Inscription.
Northern Neck Industrial Academy. . The Northern Neck Baptist Association established the Northern Neck Industrial Academy in 1898 through financial contributions from local black Baptist churches. The academy opened approximately three miles to the west on Route 608 at Oak Hill Farm in Oct. 1901 as the first high school for blacks in Richmond County. Students from Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland, King George and Essex Counties also attended the academy, often living in on-site dormitories. Sunday school and church services took place here as well. The establishment of public county high schools in the early 20th century resulted in its closure by 1938. The property was eventually sold and the main buildings are no longer standing.
The Northern Neck Baptist Association established the Northern Neck Industrial Academy in 1898 through financial contributions from local black Baptist churches. The academy opened approximately three miles to the west on Route 608 at Oak Hill Farm in Oct. 1901 as the first high school for blacks in Richmond County. Students from Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland, King George and Essex Counties also attended the academy, often living in on-site dormitories. Sunday school and church services took place here as well. The establishment of public county high schools in the early 20th century resulted in its closure by 1938. The property was eventually sold and the main buildings are no longer standing.
Erected 2004 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number J-99.)
Location. 37° 51.366′ N, 76° 36.801′ W. Marker is in Farnham, Virginia, in Richmond County. Marker is at the intersection of History Land Highway (Virginia Route 3) and Farnham Creek Road (County Route 608), on the
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right when traveling east on History Land Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Farnham VA 22460, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in a Multicultural America. 1999 book by James W. Fraser. “[Lester F.] Russell has indicated one of the reasons for the strong support for church-based schooling in the black community: ‘The impetus on the part of the Black Baptist churches towards education was based on the desire of the leaders to refute the belief generally held that blacks were incapable of the mental development known to whites.’ Thus, education of the black rate was both a test and a challenge to black ministers. But proving black intellectual equality to the white world was only a part of the story. As [James] Anderson
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 5, 2009
2. This Marker is on the Left
and others have convincingly demonstrated, literacy for its own sake was deeply important in the black community. [Evelyn Brooks] Higginbotham sums up: ‘There was little doubt in their minds that education stood second only to religion in enabling their survival and salvation in America.’ And in the hardest of times, before and after emancipation, the two were linked: black-controlled and black-taught schools were embedded within the black church.” (Submitted on October 24, 2009.)This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,061 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 24, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
