Our Petition:

Save the Pocahontas Complex from Planned Demolition

 

 

(Image of original  Pocahontas High School, now the Landmark Center, from powhatan.gov; cover aerial photo from WRIC ABC8)

The Problem:

Powhatan’s school board has voted narrowly to demolish buildings that served the county’s Black students prior to desegregation in 1969. Despite numerous alternative uses proposed for that space, the targeted structures have been poorly maintained for several years and as a result, have fallen into disrepair. Demolition of these buildings would create an irreversible loss for many thousands who care deeply about the space and who hold special memories of time there. Demolition also appears to represent a suboptimal use of taxpayer dollars, given pending plans for the county, as a whole. Respectfully, we ask that these buildings be saved. 

 

 

(Image showing areas marked for demolition; affected areas are shaded; screen grab from WRIC news story)

Demolishing these buildings within the Pocahontas complex would be a severe and troubling departure from past practices for a county that has always valued and preserved its history—including the old courthouse, the War Memorial Building and the old elementary and high schools that served white students prior to 1969. Whether these structures developed issues such as mold or asbestos or disintegrating materials once they were no longer in regular use, Powhatan leaders still valued these buildings enough to find the combined will and resources to rehabilitate and repurpose them. There are thousands of current and former Powhatan residents, business owners and property owners who believe the buildings in the Pocahontas complex deserve this same level of care. They are historic treasures, and they deserve respect and restoration, no less than the care, respect and restoration that was afforded other historic buildings within the county.

Solution:

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Powhatan School Board revisit and reverse the decision to tear down the buildings at Pocahontas. Instead, we request the following:

1)       NO DEMOLITION-- An immediate stop to plans to tear down any of these structures at Pocahontas

2)       CLARIFY OWNERSHIP-- A period of at least one year to allow for thorough research as to the original ownership, conveyance and deeding of the land upon which these buildings stand to be sure that no errors have occurred such that those making the decision are not the actual owners of any portion of the property

3)       SEEK A NEW MARKER-- An exploration during that year’s time of whether the rich history of the entire Pocahontas complex warrants designation as an historic landmark, with an appropriate marker

4)       APPLY AS A LANDMARK-- Pursuit of historic landmark protections for all of the buildings within the historic Pocahontas complex—inclusive of the former “colored” high school, elementary additions and outbuildings

5)       NOTIFY MORE PEOPLE-- Deliberate and widespread advertising for all stakeholders who are or have been affiliated with Pocahontas, so that they are made aware of existing concerns and of the opportunity to assist with solving those concerns; this can be achieved through alumni associations, civic and civil rights organizations, traditional advertising, library postings and social media sharing; neighboring counties, when faced with similar decisions, have managed to reach out to individuals and organizations with vested interests and many have saved their old schools

6)       COMPARE COSTS—New studies of the cost comparisons of demolition versus remediation of mold or other toxins necessary to make the buildings safe and useable; recognizing that some studies were conducted in 2023, it is time to update this information, securing estimates from multiple bidders; the results of these studies should be disseminated widely to all stakeholders within the county and beyond

7)       INVITE PUBLIC INPUT-- Opportunities in person, virtually, by email, phone and letter for those with an interest in the future of these buildings to express their points of view and to make clear their desired outcome as well as their willingness to assist with implementation of workable plans; also, there should be a way for comments on the matter to be available and accessible for the general public to read

8)       DOCUMENT HISTORY VIGOROUSLY-- Work to document the public history and the personal stories of those affiliated with Pocahontas from its inception, beginning with land conveyance and fundraising by the Black community for the high school, which opened in 1937, followed by the addition of classrooms, libraries, laboratories and other specialty buildings over the years; those who worked on the Powhatan African American Cultural Arts Museum at the Landmark Center and  those who oversaw outreach, reunions and inclusive community events have done an excellent job that can and should be replicated to cover the history of all of Pocahontas

9)       LOCATE ARTIFACTS-- Work to locate and recover the time capsules that were buried on the property by various school classes through at least the 1970s

10)  ENSURE SAFETY-- Creation and implementation of a plan to keep school employees, other staff, community members and everyone living, working or schooling in the immediate vicinity safe during toxin remediation or while work of any nature is performed on these structures; critically, school employees and others who may have regular exposure to toxins should be relocated to a safer space immediately

11)  RECONSIDER OWNERSHIP-- Transfer of ownership, if need be, to the Board of Supervisors or to some other, appropriate entity to oversee improvements and a vibrant path forward for all of the Pocahontas complex, and not only the Landmark Center, which is housed in the old Pocahontas High School building; create a new entity for ownership and management, if necessary

12)  RESPECT THE PAST--  Give the designated buildings the consideration they truly deserve as vestiges of vital history that has impacted countless people who have come through Powhatan, many of whom call this place home and have for generations; Pocahontas was a place of excellence, of high standards and of hope for a better future for those who experienced it as a segregated school; with desegregation came the beginning of racial healing for the county's residents-- at Pocahontas, children received a high-quality education while forging lifelong friendships and making joyful and abiding memories across perceived racial, social and economic divides. The value of Pocahontas is inestimable for alumni of every background.  There is widespread support for saving these structures, as the signatures below attest. And in a county that has, unfortunately, made headlines repeatedly for purported racial disagreement and strife, on this issue, people of diverse races, backgrounds and belief systems are in widespread agreement. The history and those who made that history deserve to be remembered and honored. All of the buildings at Pocahontas hold countless stories and precious memories for people who love Powhatan. Please listen to the people and move forward with wisdom and regard for the Pocahontas that we love. Save our school. Save all of it.

 

 

(Image of the original high school from 1961 Pocahontas yearbook)

Links to recent media coverage:

Powhatan Board of Supervisors, School Board clash over demolition of Pocahontas Middle | WRIC ABC 8News 

Pocahontas Middle School: A historic Black school in Virginia was her 'home away from home.' It’s set to be demolished Monday 

It Has Created Nothing But Division from WRIC ABC 8News

Demolition Delayed on Former African-American School from WWBT NBC12

Pocahontas Landmark Center sections set for demolition from Richmond Times-Dispatch

Call to Action:

We, the undersigned, ask and insist that the Powhatan School Board and other county leaders take immediate action to save the endangered buildings on the Pocahontas campus. These are the buildings adjoining or situated next to the current Landmark Center. The complex, as a whole, was utilized for 50 years as the county’s sole public middle school. Prior to that, it was Pocahontas School, consisting of the Powhatan School for Colored Students, which opened in 1937 and was later renamed Pocahontas. We believe that with increased awareness, better communication, more public input, more responsible and responsive study, county leaders can be better stewards of our shared history by saving Pocahontas and repurposing the entire complex for the good of all who live, work, and visit in Powhatan.

 

 

 

 

(Newspaper images from the 1937 dedication of Powhatan's school for colored students, which became Pocahontas High)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Yearbook photos Pocahontas Echo1961)

 

 

(Toby Friedman's 5th grade students 1969-1970, first integrated year at Pocahontas; image property of Toby Friedman)

 

 

 

 

(Powhatan Middle May Court 1978, next to the cottage; images property of Angie Miles)

 

 

(Librarian Geraldyne Scott, nurtured diverse students for decades; here she works with students in the 1980s; school yearbook)

 

 

(Pocahontas High marker unveiling; image property of Cheryl Burke)

 

 

(Historical Marker Database photo of the marker noting the significance of Pocahontas High School in Powhatan, Virginia)