{"nrhp_refnum":"06000353","name":"Bunche, Ralph, High School","other_names":["VDHR File No. 048-5007"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10139 James Madison Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"King George","county":"King George County","state":"VA","lat":38.271611465000035,"lon":-77.13713375799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-05-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Black","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick former high school for African-American students at 10139 James Madison Highway in Edgehill, King George County, Virginia, built in 1949 and designed by Samuel N. Mayo of Richmond.","why_significant":"Its construction resulted from the 1947 federal court case Margaret Smith et al. v. School Board of King George County, one of the earliest Virginia test cases challenging unequal 'separate but equal' schools. It served the county's Black high school students from 1949 until integration closed it in 1968.","narrative":"Ralph Bunche High School is a one-story brick building on Route 301 in Edgehill, King George County, Virginia. Completed in 1949 to designs by Richmond architect Samuel N. Mayo, it replaced the 1916 King George Training School for Black students. The L-shaped building includes a two-story auditorium-gymnasium and a central classroom hall, with a 1957 addition by John J. Ballentine, Jr. The exterior keeps most original materials, while interior finishes have been covered by paneling, dropped ceilings, and carpet. The school exists because of a 1947 federal lawsuit, Margaret Smith et al. v. School Board of King George County, which challenged the gap between the county's white and Black schools. It was one of a small group of equalization test cases brought with the NAACP. The school was named for diplomat Ralph Bunche and served Black high school students until the county's schools integrated in 1968. Since then it has housed county offices and other community uses.","period_of_significance":"1947-1968","architect_builder":"Samuel N. Mayo (architect); Howard-Mitchell Construction Company (builders); John J. Ballentine, Jr. (architect for 1957 addition)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement (vernacular with International Style influences)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1968; later used as a kindergarten, vocational school, and offices, and currently used for city and county administrative offices and storage. An alumni association plans rehabilitation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.541397-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/6814/41681432/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/06000353.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000353/52540cee70-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000353/52540cee70-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_Bunche_High_School_Oct_%6012.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_Bunche_High_School_Oct_%6012.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681432","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Bunche_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7287289"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/king-george-county/bunche-ralph-high-school-06000353/"}