Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and $8,000 in private donations, the Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation has purchased a 0.39-acre parcel adjacent to the Woodville School property on Route 17 in Ordinary for outdoor exhibits, educational programs, and meeting space for the community of Woodville descendants.

“Rosenwald schools were important to the education of African Americans across the South, and this project is part of the larger untold story of African American education in Gloucester County and the nation,” according to the grant application.

The application also states that “[t]he complete historical interpretation of African American education at the Woodville School includes experiential learning through an outdoor component.… The landscaping component of Rosenwald schools was an important element of the original plans but is often overlooked even in the small number of schools that are preserved. Rosenwald’s use of the natural environment as part of the basic design of the schools was both necessary and prescient.”

Because of local and state government requirements, most of the outdoor space around the school must be used for access from Route 17, parking for cars and buses, accessible walkways and ramps, and ample space for emergency vehicles. The newly acquired adjacent property will provide an open space for community members and visitors to learn more about the school and to reflect on the history and struggle of African Americans during the Jim Crow era when the school was in use.

Partners and supporters of the project include the Gloucester Union Relief Association, whose members will donate towards the annual maintenance of the site, as well as the Gloucester County Museum of History, Gloucester County Public Schools, and local nonprofits, businesses, and friends of the Woodville School.

For more information, including how to donate or volunteer with the project, visit https://woodvillerosenwaldschool.org. Learn more about the Virginia Outdoors Foundation at www.vof.org.