Josephine City School
Also known as: VDHR File No. 21-177
Why it's listed
Josephine City School is a two-room frame schoolhouse in Josephine City, a Black community founded in 1870 on the southeast edge of Berryville, Virginia. Built around 1882 on land bought for a public school, it was funded in part by labor and money from local residents. It served as an elementary school until about 1930, when it was moved roughly 100 feet, stuccoed, and folded into the new Clarke County Training School as home economics and agriculture classrooms. Classes continued until 1971, after which the building held storage. The plain interior retains its blackboards, beaded wainscoting and a home economics sink. When built, it was one of only seven African-American schools in the county, none teaching beyond seventh grade. Its significance lies in education and Black ethnic heritage, and in showing how a self-sufficient community worked to improve schooling for its children. A local improvement association now leases the building from the county and is restoring it as a museum and cultural center.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare late-nineteenth-century Black schoolhouse built as part of a self-contained community, erected with labor and money from the local Black community. It reflects efforts by Clarke County's African-American residents to improve their educational facilities. It is listed under Criterion A in Education and Black Ethnic Heritage.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 95000397, listed April 7, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 301-A Josephine St., Berryville |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | April 7, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000397 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1882-1945 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used for classrooms until 1971, then for storage; a local improvement association has leased it and is restoring it for use as an African-American museum and cultural center. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Chapel Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.14105, -77.97955 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 95000397.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712646
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.