303 Josephine Street
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Last updated on August 20, 2024
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Directions from Milton Valley Cemetery to site 9:
- Travel back up Josephine St and the entrance will be on your left (you passed it on the way down to the cemetery).
- The building is to the left once you enter the driveway.
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The Josephine School Community Museum and Clarke County African American Cultural Center) is housed in the former building of the Josephine City School. In the 1880s, the residents of Josephine City began to raise funds for a school to provide grade school education for African American children. The one-story school was constructed in 1882. In 1930, the Clarke County Training School was built close by for high school students. The new building had modern amenities, four classrooms, and an auditorium. The school was renamed to W.T.B Williams Training School in 1944 in honor of a Clarke County resident who had served as Dean of the Tuskegee Institute; then, it was renamed Johnson-Williams High School. After integration in 1966, it was called the Johnson-Williams Intermediate School and operated as a high school until 1987. The former school building was converted into a senior living apartment in 1992 and still serves as such today. The former Josephine City School was a home economics classroom until 1971. The school was renovated in 2002 and opened in 2003 as a museum devoted to the African American history of Clarke County and a cultural center. The Josephine School Community Museum's mission is to connect the stories of its past with visitors seeking to learn the history of Clarke County’s Black community by offering exhibits and programs. The Josephine City School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
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PO Box 423, Berryville, VA 22611
Open Sunday 1PM - 3 PM and by appointment; jschoolmuseum.org |
