WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - A school for freed and enslaved Black children that was built 25 years before the American Revolution is currently undergoing renovations at Colonial Williamsburg.
“We can’t understand where we are if we can’t understand where we were,” said Matthew Webster, executive director of architectural preservation and research.
The Bray School opened on September 29, 1760. Much of the original structure is still in tact, like the staircase and the floors.
“There is so much information here about the environment that the children lived in, what they saw on a daily basis and what this building really looked like,” said Webster.
It's the oldest surviving building in the United States that was used as a school house for freed and enslaved Black children, who were taught side by side.
“This piece of history being preserved is remarkable it tells such an important story- the story of a community and how this region functioned in the 18th century, so it’s taking that bit of history that was missing and putting that back into the story,” said Webster.
Currently there's work being done to stabilize the building, as well as conduct research into this vital piece of both our region's - and the nation's - history.
“It’s the story of education, it’s the story of slavery, the evolution of how we got to where we are today,” said Webster.
The project is expected to be complete in fall of 2024, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of the closing of the school.
