Episode 5 Itinerary: Explore Lesser-Known History (Education and Civil Rights)

Itinerary Length: 2.5 – 3 days

Originally founded in September 1865 as a Freedmen’s School, the Jefferson School trained teachers and provided primary education for formerly enslaved residents. Many of its alumni, including Jesse Scott Sammons and Benjamin Tonsler, educated future generations of students. In 1894, the Jefferson School moved to Fourth Street NW, where it was centrally located between two vibrant Black neighborhoods – Vinegar Hill and Starr Hill. Through grassroots efforts, the school was re-founded in 1926 as the first Black high school in Charlottesville.

Jefferson High School illustrates the dichotomy of life for Black communities in the early 20th century. While art, journalism, and many business ventures flourished and Black leaders advocated for voter and property rights, laws restricted the social, financial, and physical movements of people of color. The 1896 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson institutionalized the idea of “separate-but-equal”. The Virginia Constitution of 1902, Racial Integrity Act of 1924, and Public Assemblages Act of 1926 defined race and codified racial segregation in schools, transportation, and gatherings throughout the Commonwealth.

In 1951, a new segregated high school opened on Rose Hill Drive, and the Jefferson School, expanded in 1938–39, 1958, and 1959, reverted to teaching younger grades. Today, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center is a cultural hub, housed in the historic 1926 high school, which is the oldest part of the Jefferson School City Center. Through exhibits, programming, and events, the JSAAHC shares how local people, events, and experiences relate to the African diaspora nationally and internationally.

Rufus Holsinger, and later his son Ralph, maintained a large photographic studio in Charlottesville between 1895 and 1969. While they handled all types of photography, the studio was known for its portraiture with options for backdrops, lighting, and accessories that allowed customers to self-fashion their images.

The Holsinger Studio Collection at UVA’s Special Collections Library includes over 10,500 negatives, two-thirds of which are portraits. They are used in exhibits at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and are searchable through UVA’s library catalog called Virgo.

Thomas Jefferson designed the University of Virginia as a revolution in public education and a training ground for civic leaders. It has been a public institution since its official founding in 1819. However, eligibility to attend classes and receive degrees was limited by race and gender well into the 20th century. In 1950, Gregory Swanson’s application to enroll in the Master of Laws program at UVA was accepted by the faculty but later denied by UVA’s governing body because Swanson was Black. With the support of the NAACP, he sued and won his case in federal court. Swanson attended UVA between 1950 and 1951, thus, becoming its first Black student. In 1953, Walter Ridley earned a Doctor of Education or EdD, making him the first Black graduate from UVA, as well as the first to earn a doctorate at any major white public university in the South.

Following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Virginia developed a policy known as Massive Resistance to block desegregation of public schools. Charlottesville’s all-White schools closed during the 1958 academic year instead of complying with court orders.

Programming at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center reminds us that art can be a powerful form of civic engagement and celebration of culture and place. Visual art often brings together multiple disciplines, such as history, technology, literature, and ecology, and connects us with artists’ personal stories and endangered or lost landscapes here in Charlottesville and Albemarle County … and beyond.

Look for future episodes of Founding Footprints and make your travel plans now. Charlottesville and Albemarle County offer a variety of places to stay including resorts, inns, B&Bs, hotels, and vacation rentals – so you can book the lodging that aligns with your travel preferences.