Virginia. Dept. of Education. Division of School Buildings. Photographs of public schools, 1900-1963

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Virginia. Dept. of Education. Division of School Buildings. Photographs of public schools, 1900-1963. Accession 31032. State government records, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23219.

Summary

Extent:
3.85 cu. ft. (11 boxes)
Creator:
Virginia. Dept. of Education. Division of School Buildings.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Virginia. Dept. of Education. Division of School Buildings. Photographs of public schools, 1900-1963. Accession 31032. State government records, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

The Photographs of Public Schools, 1900-1963, is a visual record of hundreds of elementary and secondary school buildings across Virginia. This photographic survey was commissioned by the Department of Education beginning in the 1920s as part of the movement to consolidate and reform school systems and includes work as late as the 1960s. Included are both black and white photographs and negatives which are arranged alphabetically by locality. The images are complemented by a collection of architectural drawings of schools that is also in the archives of the Library of Virginia. These were the designs that often replaced the rural buildings recorded in these photographs [see LVA Accession 28487].

This survey of 3,100 school photographs varies widely in quality, format, and description. The anonymous photographers apparently were sent into rural Virginia without formal guidelines to use in their recordation of schools. The result is uneven coverage that varies from one locality to another. As an example, more than 300 individual structures are documented in Pittsylvania County. In contrast, there are no photographs from the City of Richmond in this collection.

One of the most valuable aspects of the photograph collection is the documentation of hundreds of small, one and two-room schoolhouses. Often, these were abandoned after school consolidation and have vanished with the passage of time. In many cases these public school photographs remain the only record of structures that once were an important feature of rural Virginia communities.

The collection has been scanned and is available online at LVA Virginia Memory, School Buildings Service Photographs. Search - School Buildings Service Photographs - in Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory site. Click here: School Buildings Service Photographs Collection

Biographical / historical:

Originally commissioned to ensure that recently established requirements for light, air, sanitation, and fire safety in the newly consolidated and reformed schools were met, the Division of School Buildings assumed the responsibility of designing or accepting plans for the schools. Though slight modifications to the plans could be made to conform to each region's aesthetic preference, the basic plan, designed to positively affect the educational experience of the students, came from the Division of School Buildings.

Acquisition information:
Transferred 17 March 1981 from the Department of Education.