Bunche, Ralph, High School
Also known as: VDHR File No. 048-5007
Why it's listed
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.
Significance in brief: 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.
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 06000353, listed May 1, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10139 James Madison Hwy., King George |
|---|---|
| County | King George County |
| Listed | May 1, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000353 |
| Resource type | Building |
| 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 |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Black, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | 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. |
| Acreage | 7.8 |
| Coordinates | 38.27161, -77.13713 (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 06000353.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7287289
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.