Our Past

The town of Cape Charles, VA has an important piece of history within its boundaries: the Historic Cape Charles Elementary - A Rosenwald School. The school was affectionately called “the school over the hump” by its students because of its location just outside of town, over the railroad bridge. It was built in 1928 as part of a movement inspired by a partnership between education pioneer, Booker T. Washington, and Jewish philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald, to educate African-American children during legalized segregation. Over 5,000 "Rosenwald Schools" were constructed in the rural south. Incorporating state-of-the-art elements of school design, our brick school had four class-rooms, an auditorium and office and was staffed by 3 teachers and a principal/teacher. It taught children in grades 1-7 and served as an important part of local African-American life for many years. The school closed in 1966, and the property was converted to a seafood processing plant that closed in 1977. The building has been sitting vacant for nearly half of a century. Despite neglect, the building maintains a great deal of its historic integrity.