Julius Rosenwald High School is a historic school building that was built in 1917 near Reedville, Virginia. It was one of the many schools that were funded by the Rosenwald Fund, a foundation established by Julius Rosenwald, a businessman and philanthropist who wanted to improve the education of African Americans in the rural South.
The Historic Marker Inscription reads: “Originally known as Northumberland County Training School, this institution opened in 1917, under principal John M. Ellison. Local African Americans raised more than $7,000 to build the school and received additional funding from the Rosenwald Fund. Julius Rosenwald, chairman of the board of directors of Sears Roebuck and Co., created this fund in 1917 to finance the building of rural southern schools for blacks. Some 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built in 15 states, including 308 in Virginia. On 12 Nov. 1932, under its principal the Reverend Dr. Henry M. Ruffin, the school was renamed the Julius Rosenwald High School. It closed in 1958.”
