Gloucester County’s 2024 commemorative ornament featuring the Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute is now available.
For the past 25 years, the Gloucester County Historical Committee has chosen a historic location, person or event to commemorate with a keepsake ornament. The ornament may be purchased for $20 at the Gloucester Visitor Center, Gloucester County Library, Museum of History, and Treasurer’s Office. Custom made in the United States, the ornament is a limited edition with only 250 having been produced.
“Showcasing the Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute continues to build awareness about the county’s dynamic African American history,” said Robert Kelly, Gloucester County’s Historic Resources Supervisor.
Known locally as Cappahosic Academy, the Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute was established in 1888 by William Weaver with help from T.C. Walker, the Rev. John Booth, and other community leaders. At this time, Virginia’s public school system was segregated and educational opportunities for African Americans were few and far between.
The success of Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute paved the way for other local black institutions, such as Woodville-Rosenwald School and T.C. Walker’s Gloucester Training School. The school was modeled after Hampton Agricultural and Industrial Institute (now Hampton University) and gained attention when Frederick Douglass delivered the 1894 commencement address.
Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute closed in 1933 because of the Great Depression; however, its legacy lives on through the descendants of its graduates. The school’s original 309-pound school bell, cast in 1891 by McShane Bell Foundry, remains displayed in Gloucester County.
“I hope the ornament inspires people to visit places in our community, such as Woodville Rosenwald School and the Gloucester Museum of History, to learn more about the Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial Institute,” said Kelly. An exhibit about the school, featuring the original school bell, remains on display at the Museum of History.
For more information, call 804-693-1234 or email rkelly@gloucesterva.info.