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Washington - Coleman Community Center
Historical Overview
• The current Washington-Coleman facility is traced to 1930 when Booker T. Washington High School was moved from Main Street to a new four-room structure on Jeffress Boulevard. The first class graduated on May 31, 1933.The new school had a strong curriculum and a well-qualified staff in spite of its small population of some 30 students. The school was noted for its strong basketball team as it won the State Interscholastic Athletic Association championship in 1933. Many of its graduates went on to college and became teachers, doctors and lawyers. One distinguished graduate, Dr. Hunter D. Hamlett subsequently served as head of the biology department at Virginia State University. In 1948, the South Boston high school was merged with the county's black high school which was named the Halifax Training School. In the 1950's the newly combined high schools became the largest rural black high school in the Commonwealth. It was renamed Mary Bethune High School in 1956.
• When Booker T. Washington High School vacated the Jeffress Avenue building in 1948, the facility was put to use as a public black grammar school. The new grammar school took the place of the old M.H. Coleman Grammar School located on nearby Penick Avenue. The old Coleman school site is now home to the Town of South Boston’s Penick Park. The new grammar school took it's current name in honor of Dr. Booker T. Washington and Matthew Hale Coleman who was principal of the first black grammar school in the Town of South Boston.
• Halifax County has four sites on the 300-mile driving Civil Rights Heritage Trail which passes through Petersburg and 13 Southern Virginia counties. The Halifax County sites are Mary Bethune High School in Halifax, Washington-Coleman Elementary School at 1927 Jeffress Blvd. and Mizpah Church at 308 Ragland Street, both in South Boston, and Meadville Community Center on Route 57 . The trail is described by its founders as "the first memorial trail of its kind in Virginia dedicated to commemorating the African-American, American-Indian and women's struggle for equality."
• The Town of South Boston acquired the Washington-Coleman facility from Halifax County in 2007 when the new South Boston Elementary School open on Parker Avenue on land donated by the Town for the site of the new school. From the first discussions of consolidating the two South Boston elementary schools into a new modern facility, the Town of South Boston sought ownership and responsibility for protecting and preserving this most historic and meaningful community treasure.
• The Mission
- The mission of the Washington-Coleman Community Center will be to provide a safe and secure environment for
(1) citizens to engage in leisure activities such as arts and crafts as well senior citizen activity groups,
(2) a classroom and activity center to enhance the effectiveness of the Mentor-Role Model Program,
(3) providing a modern and updated classroom environment for the education of pre-kindergarten children participating in the Halifax County Schools program,
(4) establishing museum exhibits to celebrate the history of Booker T. Washington High School, M.H. Coleman Grammar School, Washington-Coleman Elementary School, and the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail,
and (5) the establishment of an additional gymnasium for the South Boston Recreation Department.
• Schedule:
- Funding dependent but Pre-K continues to operate during school year months and Town Park & Rec use the building for special events only at this time.
Phase I - Pre-Kindergarten
• The Halifax County School System completed the 2007-2008 Pre-K school year in the newer section of the facility. Due to needed repairs to the oil furnace system, the 2008-2009 Pre-K school year is being conducted in the older classrooms to minimize utility costs in the winter months. $750,000 has been requested by the Town of South Boston in ARRA stimulus funding to replace the archaic heating system with a modern, energy-efficient heating and cooling system in the building and install energy efficient windows as soon as possible. The newer section of the building will be renovated as a priority to settle the Pre-K Program into its permanent home and minimize impact on the young children.
Phase II - Old School renovation and multi-purpose activity rooms, offices and museum area
• The older section of the building will require special attention to its 80 year-old structures and supports. Pending funding for Phase II, the older section with its cafeteria and multi-purpose room will be able to be used for Pre-K activities and special Town Recreation Department activities.
Phase III - New gymnasium build adjacent to Old School
• The property adjacent to the Washington-Coleman School on the west side is planned as the site for the new gymnasium and off-street parking. The current property owners have expressed interest in selling the property to accommodate the expanded community center.
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