Ivy Talk: Lucille Smith and the Albemarle Training School

Mrs. Lucille Smith, the author of the upcoming book, The Three Area Segregated High Schools of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, will be speaking on Albemarle Training School (ATS) and the one- and two-room schools that fed into it. Mary Carr Greer, who inherited River View Farm from her father Hugh Carr and lived there for many years, was a principal at ATS. 

Mrs. Smith's talk will draw from her book, which will highlight the educational system for African American children in Charlottesville and Albemarle County in 1926 to 1951, when Jackson P. Burley High School was built and the three area schools were closed. The schools were overcrowded, with as many as 244 students being taught in five or six rooms. Many of the schools of Albemarle County began as makeshift facilities, in need of repair, poorly heated, ventilated and the teachers and students only had access to worn, second-hand books for teaching and learning. Twelfth grade was not offered until Burley High School opened. The book will capture some of the story of brave parents, community and religious leaders who were on a mission to achieve a better education for their children. 

This talk is free and will be offered on Zoom. Registration is required here.