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African-American Historical Sites
Visit the Places, Learn the History, Celebrate the Culture By Gianna Jirak
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very February, we celebrate African-American History Month and the icons who accompany it. We watch movies praising the freedom riders, listen to the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., attend festivals and parades, and visit museums to learn more about the history of AfricanAmericans in the United States. This year, due to pandemic restrictions, attending festivals, museums or parades is less possible. But with the right safety precautions, you can visit local African-American historical sites and gain a deeper understanding of African-American history in Northern Virginia.
Schools to create a regional high school for African-American students. Now, remnants of the school stand in a 5-acre archaeological park at 9601 Wellington Road in Manassas, along with a memorial to Dean that was unveiled in October. Visitors can admire the memorial to Dean, which includes a statue of her with an outstretched hand, as if to lift others up. The site includes the exhibit kiosks with audio programs and interpretive panels. Due to COVID-19, site closures are possible. Find upto-date information at va-manassas2.civicplus.com.
Here are some great historical sites to visit and celebrate AfricanAmerican History Month this February.
Lucasville School
Manassas Industrial School & Jennie Dean Memorial The Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth was chartered on Oct. 3, 1893, after years of fundraising by Jennie Dean, a former slave. The school’s first building, Howard Hall, opened a year later, with Frederick Douglass conducting the dedication ceremonies for it. The school acted as a private residential institution for African-American students, and at its peak held over 150 students. According to the City of Manassas, students at the school were educated in mathematics, natural sciences, geography, physiology, music, literature and English, as well as many vocational skills. The girls were taught to sew, cook and perform a variety of other domestic duties, while the boys were taught things like carpentry, cobbling and shoe-making. In 1937, the school and its surrounding land and buildings were acquired by Fairfax, Fauquier and Prince William Public
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February 2021 prince william living
The Lucasville School, a school dedicated to the education of African-American children located in Manassas, was constructed in 1885 by H.W. Lloyd. It was Prince William County’s only extant one-room school built for African-American children. Although it closed down permanently in 1926, a reconstructed version of it, which contains a few pieces from the original school, still stands today in Manassas to allow us to have a deeper understanding of post-Civil War African-American history. At the school, first- through sixth-grade students were taught mathematics, geography, penmanship, reading and history, as well as African-American history in February during Abraham Lincoln’s birthday week. Today, visitors can also celebrate African-American history at the school, located at 10516 Godwin Drive in Manassas, through special weekend programming events. The programming includes displays, crafts and a depiction of a typical day at the school. No more than five people will be allowed in the school at one time and masks are required. Due to COVID-19, site closures are possible. Find the latest information and guidelines at pwcgov.org.
