CURRITUCK, N.C. — I recently visited Currituck County to check out some local history at the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School Museum.
From the 1860s to 1950, small schoolhouses, like this one in Jarvisburg, provided a safe space for African American children to get an education. Leon Saunders, a board member at the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School, gave me a tour of the museum.
"The three Rs… reading, writing and arithmetic." Saunders continues, "It was the need for education in the community at that time. And some of our forefathers thought it'd be great that they could establish something where, you know, you could get a little understanding more about life."
The education was a basic foundation: a starting point for continued learning for future generations.
Saunders tells me, "My mother, I think she went up to the eighth grade. She can’t go any further because she had to stay at home to work to help take care of the family."
When you visit the Jarvisburg schoolhouse, you’ll see some of the old desks, books, and even some items from the small cafeteria.
"The kitchen area and see some of the menus of things that they cook such as tomato biscuits and beans, of course, collard greens and stuff like that, country food," said Saunders.
The Historic Jarvisburg Colored School is undergoing renovations, but will reopen for the month of February for Black History Month. Starting Feb. 1, 2024, self-guided tours will be available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Historic Jarvisburg Colored School will be closed starting March 1 to continue renovations.
The Historic Jarvisburg Colored School is part of the African American Experience of Northeast North Carolina: a trail of locations, monuments, and museums in nine N.C. counties to celebrate the contributions and history of African Americans in the region.
