Prince Edward County

Gov. Almond Claims Schools in Prince Edward County Will Never Integrate

5/6/1959

Virginia Governor J. Lindsay Almond predicts that Prince Edward County, Va., will defy Supreme Court orders to integrate its public schools by the following school year, arguing that officials will instead respond to the court's ruling by ceasing to appropriate funds to public schools altogether, thereby effecting their closure. Almond explains that such a response is possible because of a recent decision by the Virginia General Assembly to allow local control of public schools and to provide tuition grants to students seeking to attend private segregated schools. Public schools would remain closed in Prince Edward County until 1964.

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Anchor script text: Prospects that race mixing will occur in Prince Edward County schools this fall appear dim despite a federal court ruling that the county must desegrehate public schools by September. There are two main reasons why race mixing probably won't occur this fall. First, the County board of Supervisors can cut off school appropriations and go out of the school business. And the negro plaintoffs in the case must subject themselves to the state pupil placement act and its administrative remedies. (ROLL FILM) Gov. Almond says he doesn't look for any race-mixing in Prince Edward County this September. (SHOW FILM) SOUND UP

With Schools Closed, Students Attend Makeshift Segregated Classes

8/20/1959

Footage shows Main Street in Farmville, Va., and the exterior of the Robert R. Moton High School, which stands empty. In order to avoid desegregation, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors decided not to fund any public schools. 

Prince Edward School Foundation Applies for Accreditation

6/4/1959

An administrator of the Prince Edward School Foundation, a private school foundation formed following the U.S. Supreme Court's orders to desegregate public schools, states that he intends to apply to the Virginia Board of Education for accreditation for his organization's segregated schools and that he believes the all-white schools will qualify. A boy walks down the sidewalk in front of the segregated Farmville High School. A sign reading "No Tresspassing" and "Prince Edward County School Board" stands in front of an unidentified school building.

“Free School” Registration

8/21/1963

In preparation for the return of public schools in Prince Edward County, civil rights organizations and community groups established the Prince Edward County Free School. Concerned citizens hoped to ease the students back into public school after the absence of any schooling for the previous four years. The free school operated for a year until public schools reopened in fall of 1964.

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Anchor script text: (more Prince Edward) film rolling White students have been attending private Prince Edward Academy since public schools closed in 1958. At that time, negroes turned down offers of private schools for their race. At the Mary E. Branch School number Two today, negro teachers and white professors from Hampden-Sydney pitched in to register students, so did students from Queens College in New York. The feeling seems to be that if the U-S Supreme Court vindicates Prince Edward's contention that it is under no obligation to operate public schools, these schools will be opened once again. Be that as it may, the general agreement now is that its good to have schools for everyone again...even though they're not publicly operated.