Scrabble School

Scrabble School, first known as Woodville School, was built in 1921-1922 to serve African American students in grades 1-7. This was the first of four schools constructed in Rappahannock County with funding from Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck & Co., who had joined forces with educator Booker T. Washington in a school-building campaign. Between 1917 and 1932, the Rosenwald Fund helped construct about 5,000 schools for Black students across the rural South. Encouraged by neighbor Isaiah Wallace, Black residents contributed $1,100 toward the $3,225 cost of this building. Scrabble School closed in 1968 after operating for one year on a desegregated basis.

Department of Historic Resources, 2021