- City:
- Farmville, VA
- Site Type:
- Education and Health, Schools
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Started:
- 1939
- Completed:
- 1939
Description
Robert Russa Moton Museum occupies the former public high school of the same name in Farmville, Virginia. Located at the intersection of South Main Street and Griffin Boulevard (Ely Street at time of construction), the school was constructed as the “Colored” High School in 1939 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. In 1951, a student organized strike against over crowded conditions lead to a NAACP court case, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia. In 1954 the case became one of five cases combined in the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Source notes
National Register of Historic Places nomination
National Landmark nomination
National Archives -
Rg No 135, Stack Area 11R4, Row 21, Compatment 9, Shelf 8
PWA Project #1135, Reels 7890-7891, Box 659
Research conducted by Brian Grogan for the documentary film in production, "They Closed Our Schools".
https://www.mercyseatfilms.com
Site originally submitted by Brian Grogan on November 22, 2014.
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