Local African American History in Waynesboro

The history of the Port Republic Road community of Waynesboro, VA (affectionately called "The Hill" by community residents) has significant value. In 2002, Port Republic Road was listed on the National Historic Register of Places; however, the history of this community has not yet been adequately interpreted. "The Hill" was home to the Julius Rosenwald School that served Black students in Waynesboro from grades 1-12 from the 1920s through 1965. "The Hill" was also home to about 75 family homes, three churches, a hotel, benevolent lodges, as well as general merchandise businesses. "The Hill" was to Waynesboro what "Harlem" was to New York City; "Black Wall Street" was to Tulsa, OK; the Jackson Ward District was to Richmond, VA - a business district of sorts that was ultimately the heartbeat of the local Black community from the late nineteenth through the late twentieth centuries. Traditional historiography focuses on Black business districts in more urban environs than this valley community. Information gleaned from this project will lead to further interpretation of watershed themes/events in American history like segregation, prohibition, migration, the jazz age, public school desegregation and its legacies placing this central Virginia valley at the center of the discussion. This lecture will be led by Dr. Amy Tillerson-Brown, Dean and Professor of History at Mary Baldwin College for Women.