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All the United States Virginia Josephine School Community Museum
AO Edited

Josephine School Community Museum

A renovated schoolhouse that highlights the history of Clarke County's Black community.

Berryville, Virginia

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Ian Hall
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Interior of the Josephine School Community Museum.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Josephine School Community Museum   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Josephine School Community Museum   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of one room of the Josephine School Community Museum.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Signs for the museum and retirement community at the entrance to the complex.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
The old high school, now Johnson-Williams Apartment Community in the background.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Josephine School Community Museum   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Historical signage   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Historical signage   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Josephine City School was built in 1882 by former enslaved people and freedmen living in the community to provide a grade school education to their children.

In 1930, the Clarke County Training School was built nearby to expand educational opportunities to Black students of high school age. The school was renamed W.T.B. Williams Training School in 1944 to honor a Clarke County resident who had served as Dean of the Tuskegee Institute.

The name changed to Johnson-Williams High School between 1949-1966, and after integration, it was called Johnson-Williams Intermediate School and continued to operate as a school for grades 7 and 8 until 1987.

In 1992, the school building was converted into senior living apartments and it still operates in that capacity today as Johnson Williams Apartment Community.

The Josephine School was renovated in 2002 and opened as a museum in 2003. The living museum seeks to connect the stories of its past with visitors seeking to learn the history of Clarke County's Black community. Aside from presenting the school as it was in the late 19th-century, they collaborate on cultural events within the county that align with their mission.

Related Tags

Education Black History Schools

Know Before You Go

The Museum is open by appointment only. To schedule a visit, call 540-955-5512 or send an email to jschool515@verizon.net.

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blimpcaptain

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Affenschmidt

  • Affenschmidt

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June 9, 2022

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Josephine School Community Museum
303 Josephine St
Berryville, Virginia, 22611
United States
39.14199, -77.979387
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