{"nrhp_refnum":"95001177","name":"Moton, Robert Russa, High School","other_names":["Farmville Elementary School","VDHR File No. 144-53"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of S. Main St. and Griffin Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Farmville","county":"Prince Edward County","state":"VA","lat":37.29130471400006,"lon":-78.3975880370642,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-10-24","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1998-08-05","areas_of_significance":["Social History","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick high school building on a triangular lot at South Main Street and Griffin Boulevard in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia, completed in 1939 as a school for Black students.","why_significant":"The school was the site of a student strike on April 23, 1951, protesting overcrowded and inadequate facilities. The strike led to the Davis v. Prince Edward County School Board case, which was combined with four others and argued before the Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education. The county later closed its public schools from 1959 to 1964 rather than integrate them.","narrative":"Robert Russa Moton High School is a one-story brick building in Farmville, Virginia, completed in 1939 as a high school for Black students in Prince Edward County. It has a symmetrical U-shaped plan, a low hipped metal roof, subtle classical detailing, eight classrooms, an office and a central auditorium. The exterior and interior remain largely unchanged, with original woodwork, blackboards and floors. The school was soon overcrowded and lacked facilities that the white high school had, including a gymnasium and a cafeteria. On April 23, 1951, students led by Barbara Johns struck to demand better conditions. With NAACP attorneys, their protest became a lawsuit that was combined with four others and argued before the Supreme Court as Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The county then closed its public schools from 1959 to 1964 to avoid integration. The school is recognized for this role in the civil rights movement. The building is now vacant.","period_of_significance":"1951-1964","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Listed as currently vacant; the building is described as remarkably well preserved and little altered since 1939.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.97298-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/6791/41679109/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/95001177_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001177/478749b58f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95001177/478749b58f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"William T. Ziglar, Jr.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Russa_Moton_High_School,_Farmville,_VA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">William T. Ziglar, Jr.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Russa_Moton_High_School,_Farmville,_VA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679109","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Russa_Moton_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7349431"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/prince-edward-county/moton-robert-russa-high-school-95001177/"}