Colleen Betti has been spending her summers at school, coming to Gloucester since 2018 to work on her dissertation. The PhD student from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has been working with the Fairfield Foundation on archeological digs at three historic schools in the county.

Betti has spent her time at the Woodville Rosenwald School, the Bethel School, and the Dragon School. The common theme among the sites is that they were all African American schools during the time of segregation in the country. As of writing, she is currently working at the Dragon School site, also known as the Glenns School.

TYLER BASS / GAZETTE-JOURNALColleen Betti is a PhD archaeology student from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who has spent the last few years learning about the former African American schools of Gloucester County. The Dragon School has proven a challenge due to its location and lack of documentation.

The Dragon School is no longer standing. The building ...