Buena Vista’s Colored School Historical Society Seeking Volunteers
By Jacob Adams
Located at the corner of Rockbridge Avenue and 30th street stands the Buena Vista Colored School, a one room red brick schoolhouse with a storied past. The Colored School closed its door in 1957, and while that may seem ancient to some college students, it has an important legacy among many of our neighbors. One woman who lived those stories is Danta Thompson, acting president of the Buena Vista Colored School Historical Society, and former student of the Colored School. The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard for the society, stalling preservation efforts, and with Danta’s mother and former president Irma Thompson and vice president Barbara Ivey passing away during the pandemic, Danta is hopeful for the future and looking to regroup and press onward.
Even facing these challenges, much has been done to restore the Colored School and preserve its history. Over the past few years the porches and windows have been restored, with future plans to include a new roof, installing plumbing, and repairing the plaster and flooring. “Even though we haven’t been very visible in the community, a lot has been going on,” Danta says. Education is something that Danta and her family dearly cherish. Danta and her two brothers all went on to graduate from college, and Danta even later graduated with a master’s degree in human services and counseling.
Increasing the visibility of the Colored School’s legacy in the community is the foremost goal right now. This allows a unique opportunity for students of Southern Virginia University, who for the past 15 years have volunteered to help preserve the Colored School’s important history. One person who has taken up the torch to help is Alissa Johnson, who serves as service senator in the student government. She, alongside Ty Day, plans to create a website for the Colored School. This website will contain information about the history of the Colored School, stories of former students and teachers, a section where people can make donations, and a blog that will post news about the progress of restoration efforts. The vision for the Buena Vista Colored School is to restore the building and create a community center where people can gather and learn about African-American history not just in Buena Vista but in all of Rockbridge County.
Danta, Alissa, and Ty would all love your help! They are looking for volunteers interested in helping build their website, connect with donors and government agencies to receive funding, and even writers to spread news and record the stories of former students. This is a wonderful opportunity to preserve a powerful Buena Vista legacy.
To learn more and get involved, please contact Alissa at Alissa.johnson@svu.edu
To learn more about the history of the Buena Vista Colored School, check out this previous Herald article by Dallin Hunt:
