A state historical highway marker for the Rappahannock Industrial Academy will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 21, in Dunnsville. The public dedication and unveiling ceremony will take place on the former site of the school, across the road from 28882 Tidewater Trail.

The RI Academy, as it was called, was established by African Americans to fulfill the need for high school education for African Americans at a time when no public schools in the area did. It was in existence from 1902 to 1948 and primarily served students from Middlesex, Essex, and King and Queen counties, a release said.

The two large three-story buildings and other structures on the nearly 300-acre campus are no longer standing. A solar farm stands on a portion of the property, which is still owned by the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association.

The Rappahannock Industrial Academy marker was sponsored by the Rappahannock Industrial Academy Alumni Association, a group that seeks to document and preser...