Empowering Our Community Together

Return to a time and place when segregation forced African American children to attend separate schools. Many schools were erected in predominately African American neighborhoods in rural areas to educate children. In 1921, a new Rosenwald school was established in Rockingham County, VA, utilizing 2 acres of land sold by local businessman Robert O. Nizer. The school opened during the 1921-1922 school year with 67 students from the surrounding Elkton, VA communities, operating on a budget of $4,500 that included $2,628 from Rockingham County, $1,000 from the Rosenwald Fund, and $832 from the vibrant local African American community. Designed as a “three-teacher school,” it featured two classrooms for students in grades one through seven. An outdoor bathroom was added later, and the building was eventually expanded to include a kitchen area. The school served the African American children of the Elkton community until 1965, functioning as the Newtown School (East Elkton) and often hosting community events that brought families together. In 1965, the building was sold to Frank and Selena Duncan for $6,300, with their intention to transform it into a Community Center for the African American community, a goal that was ultimately denied. The building was then sold again and converted into an auction house. Today, the former Newtown School stands as the only remaining Rosenwald School in Rockingham County. In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Rosenwald Schools among the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. To honor the legacy of the Rosenwald School, a historical marker was erected in 2017, emphasizing the important role it played in local education and community development. The Newtown School Association continues to advocate for the preservation of this vital piece of history.