WY73 Cape Charles Rosenwald School Photo credit: Jean E Flynn
Location: 1500 Old Cape Charles Road, Cape Charles, VA 23310
Inscription: Constructed in 1928, this school opened about 1930 for African American children in Cape Charles during legalized segregation. The building was constructed with contributions from the local African American community, the State Literary Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund, established in 1917 to build schools for African American students in the rural South. Staffed by three teachers and a principal/teacher, the school housed grades one through seven, and was a center for educational, social, and cultural events for the African American community. Under Principal Jesse L. Hare, the school closed in 1966 when Northampton County Schools were consolidated four years before their integration.
The Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative (CCRSI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization comprised of alumni, civic and religious leaders, educators, business owners, and friends who recognize the importance of the building for its history and its future potential.
They are rehabilitating the school for adaptive reuse as a hub for multicultural and multigenerational community engagement for the benefit of all residents of the rural Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Learn more on their website: Cape Charles Rosenwald School
The Cape Charles Rosenwald School is also listed on the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.