Lucasville School

You may almost feel like a kid yourself when you visit the Lucasville School in Manassas, Virginia.

Don’t expect to find this school on any maps or in many tourism brochures. It's one of the smaller sites in the area and very easy to miss because it's nestled among some of the larger homes in a suburban neighborhood.

What makes it worth the trip is that you won't find anything else like it in the area. The school was one of the first in the area that children of color could attend. Little is known about the children except they attended grades one through six and studied math, geography, penmanship, reading and history.

Historians note that at least 17 women taught at the school between 1885 and 1926. Teachers were required to have seventh grade educations.

Citizens, Prince William County officials, and others rescued the school – which was used as a barn – and restored it between December 2005 and February 2008.

Park your car and walk up to the renovated school – furnished to look as it did when it was in use. The small, wooden student desks, wood floors, and wall maps, will almost transport you back to the day when the students that attended were finally given a chance to learn.

Tours of the school are also available by appointment. 

- by Nancy Dunham, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Nancy Dunham

Nancy Dunham is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Not For Tourists, Maryland Life, The Washington Examiner, Relix, and many other publications.