The following is a transcription of the documents of the petition to create a High School for "colored youths" in Charlottesville. They include the petition (to the Charlottesville Superintendent and School Board) and three pages of signatures. At the time, there was an elementary school through eighth grade, with those students wishing for high school education having to leave home (at significant cost). The Jefferson School with high school program offerings opened in 1926 (233 Fourth St. N. W.), at a time "when most Virginia jurisdictions failed to offer high-school education to African Americans" (Virginia Historic Register report). Although no dates appear on the three lists, they were created and submitted in 1894: "The City decided in 1924 to honor this request for a 'Negro' high school that would house three high school grades. Minutes for the Charlottesville School Board in November of 1924 reveal that the board was anxious to get the plans for the new colored school from the State education department architect, Mr. Raymond B. Long" (Section 8, page 17).

The school building for Jefferson Colored High School was completed in 1926 (section 8, page 18). It was next to the 1894 building for the Jefferson Graded School (a four-story brick building that replaced the wood-frame Freedman's School building on the same site; it was in use through to it being demolished in 1959) (Section 8, page 15). The deed for the earlier property was dated January 27, 1894 (SOURCE: A Guide to the Records of the Charlottesville School Board 1869-2006). The 1894 building faced Fourth Street NW; the high school building faced Commerce Street. The original deeds of land purchased verify the locations of the buildings:

• "Box-folder 68:20
  
  Deed of Purchase from Annie B. Johnson to the Charlottesville School Board 1924 July 7
  1 item

  Deed for parcel of land located at the Northeast corner of the intersection of Fifth Street N. W. and Commerce Street as an addition to the Jefferson School for a price of twenty five hundred dollars.

• Box-folder 68:21
  
  Deed of Purchase from G. F. Johnson to the Charlottesville School Board 1924 July 12
  1 item

  Deed for a parcel of land on the East side of Fifth Street Northwest for a sum of fifteen hundred dollars for an addition to the Jefferson School

• Box-folder 68:22
  
  Deed of Purchase and title clear from Robert and Mollie Jackson to the Charlottesville School Board 1924 August 8 th
  1 item

  Land purchased by the School Board for an addition to the Jefferson School located on the East side of Fifth Street Northwest for twenty two hundred and fifty dollars" (SOURCE: A Guide to the Records of the Charlottesville School Board 1869-2006)

Not only are these documents vital in showing the fought-for establishment of equal education for African-American citizens, they are also useful in telling us the names of active members of the African American community. 

Document One

"Whereas education will banish crime, exile idleness, drive out rudeness and make good citizens and where as the object of this goernment is to make good citizens out of its inhabitants, therefore: we the citizens of Seneca School District do humbly petition the honorable School Board of Seneca District to aid us in building a District High School near Grace Church where the colored youths may have their hands, head and hearts trained to love and bless the Old State of Virginia."

1. Margrette Clark
2. Ned Johnson
3. [J. or T.] L. Yuille
4. Ed Clark
5. John Hunter
6. Anderson Johnson
7. Palmer Deane
8. Thomas Farmer
9. Bolden Farmer
10. J. H. Taylor
11. Wm. [William] Clark Jr.
12. [A. or H.] B. Clark
13. J. C. Clark
14. [A. or H.] N. Clark
15. Jos. [Joseph] A. Moorman
16. Abbie F. Payne
17. Mitchell Clark
18. Moses Organ
19. Jordan Cunningham
20. Nelson Terry
21. Samuel Ward
22. John Dillard
23. [A.] Clark Sen.
24. Richard Payne
25. Coleman Murrell
26. [E.H.] Whitlock
27. Mor. . . (paper folded and illegible)
28. Charlie . . . (paper ripped; portion of signature missing)
29. Wilson Miles
30. John Ward
31. Luke Yuille
32. J. [N.?] Organ
33. Anthony Clark
     [Name Struck from list]
34. Sam Clark
35. Ansola Clark
36. Smith Hubbard
37. Richard Davis
38. Floyd Organ
39. [E.?] Deane
40. Lizzie Poindexter
41. [Shirly? Hurly?] Jones
42. Abner Dearing
43. Maceo Clark
44. Jack Ward
45. J. L. Payne
46. Robt. [Robert] Brown
47. Simon Farmer
48. Mack Morgan
49. Freeze Morgan
50. Tom Calloway
51. Susan Moorman
52. Giles Logan
53. S. R. Logan
54. Moses Dews
55. Flemming Dabney
56. Maria Monroe
57. Nancy S. Brown

Document Two 

• Susie T. Angell
• D. A. Barbour
• Lelia Barbour
• Cora Smith
• [Y.?] M. Lias
• Ellen Irving
• Minnie Ragland
• Maggie Justin
• Lizzie Harris
• Carrie Byers
• Estelle H. Aiken
• Jemi H. Coles
• Humphrey Michie
• Rosa E. Fagan
• Alice Minor
• Addie Barbour
• Sallie [J.?] Chisholm
• N. J. Conn
• Julia L. [Wills?]
• Ada R. Thurston
• Gilly B. Nickalas
• Burdell Chapman
• Jno. [John] Swigginton
• J. [N.?] Bell
• Wm. [William] Kennie
• J. Edgar Angell
• N. E. Jackson Jr.
• Jessie H. Jackson
• [G.?] R. Ferguson
• G. [Page?] [Payne?]
• James [J.?] S. [Taylor?] [Laylard?]
• J. W. Heiskell
• J. A. Edmunds (Edward) (a third word in parenthesis is illegible)
• Ella Lewis
• Eliza A. Taylor
• [hrcy?] Taylor
• Nannie J. Herman
• William Irving
• Charles S. Fagans
• E. B. Allen
• Mrs. Mildred Campbell
• Mrs. M. L. Carey
• Mrs. John West
• John West
• Laurence R. Perkins
• J. Andrew Jackson

Document Three  

(Likely the below signatures are those of members of the Home Beautiful Club)

• Mrs. B. L. Lockett
• Mrs. F. P. Hardy
• Mrs. Maria Southall
• Mrs. L. B. Ferguson
• Mrs. Martha A. Brown
• Mrs. Laura Sims
• Mrs. M. [J.?] Edwards
• Mrs. Kate V. Inge
• Mrs. M. L. Jerry
• Mrs. Annie Gilmer
• Mrs. M. C. Hooker
• Mrs. Rosa Pollard
• Mrs. Ella Kenney
• Mrs. S. J. Truehart
• O. [G.? S.?] Conn
• Mr. Dan Nicklos
• Mr. William Barber

A view of the Vinegar Hill neighborhood, 1960, prior to being razed. You can see the Jefferson school at the top right of the photo:

An older photograph of Jefferson School (possibly by Jackson Davis, and possibly showing the older 1894 building?)

A view of the high school building in a photo of the Jefferson School Football Team, date unknown, but after 1926, Ralph Holsinger (Y21177BB):

A view of the Jefferson High School main entrance, facing Commerce Street: 

Sources

- "Papers Pertaining to Jefferson High School," n.d, Accession #13523, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

- Kalbian, Maral S. and Margaret T. Peters. National Register of Historic Places Jefferson School and Carver Recreation Center (2005)

- Vinegar Hill photograph, circa 1960 (source: "Jefferson School City Center," Bushman Dreyfus) 

- Older photograph of Jefferson Graded School (possibly by Jackson Davis, c. 1921)

- Records of the Charlottesville School Board, 1869-2006, #14210, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

SEE ALSO:

Holsinger Image Gallery of African Americans

J. F. Bell Funeral Home Records

Charlottesville City Directory, 1914-15 [Hathi Trust]

1870 & 1910 U. S. Census - Charlottesville & Esmont Communities