WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg are teaming up to preserve the legacy of an 18th-century school that was for enslaved and free Black children in Virginia.
The museum and university that the small, white building will be moved from campus to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area.
“In the 18th century, the associates of Dr. Bray, a London-based charity founded a series of schools to educate enslaved and free African-American children,” said Colonial Williamsburg Foundation President, Cliff Fleet.
Students at the school learned Christianity, reading, and perhaps writing, but researchers also say students had to accept enslavement as divinely ordained.
Fleet said, “The school was open for 14 years and educated as many as 400 enslaved and free African-Americans.”
The university said the Bray-Digges House is likely the oldest building still in existence in the U.S. that was dedicated to the education of Black children.
William & Mary president, Katherine Rowe, said the significance of the school's discovery was "hard to overstate."
"So much of our history as a nation has gone unrecorded... the history of African Americans, their oppression and resistance," Rowe said. "By studying the legacy of the Bray School students, we will uncover and illuminate some of the most important impacts of education in the story of America."
Colonial Williamsburg researchers analyzed the building’s wood framing to confirm that it once housed the school.
"Research conducted in 2020 by Colonial Williamsburg connected the final dots in a decades-long trail of evidence begun by a curious William & Mary literature professor," read a news release. "The work, focused on dendrochronology of the building’s timber framing, further corroborated research indicating that the building at 524 Prince George St. in Williamsburg once held the Bray School, an institution that educated many of the town’s Black children from 1760 to 1774."
The site will also be a focal point for research and discussions about the complicated story of race in America.
“This will make the Bray School a destination for millions in coming years,” Rowe said.
On Thursday, Governor Ralph Northam attended an event to talk about the future site plans for the Bray School.
Leaders said a $400,000 grant from the Gladys and Franklin Clark Foundation will help restore and relocate the school’s historic structure. Extra money raised will help complete the restoration.
“This is such an opportunity to tell the story of Black education in that era and right here in Colonial Williamsburg,” Northam explained.
The house will move to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Leaders are looking at a few different sites. The building will become the 89th original structure restored by the foundation.
A William & Mary Student said he’s excited for people to learn more about the Bray School.
Matthew Heidle said, “Colonial Williamsburg often has one time period that we hear a lot about. I know they have been doing work but it’s more of a white experience so I think it will help the area have a more expansive historical experience for others.”
Leaders did not give a timeline on when the building will be relocated and restored.