A History of Booker T. Washington Elementary School

Class Historians: John Raleigh Riddick, Class of 1946; Maddie Deloise Vann, Class of 1939; Eula Mae Williams, Class of 1960

Booker T. Washington
1953

Booker T. Washington
2002

In 1912, the Suffolk City School Board purchased the three sites within the City of Suffolk to build schools.  The east end site on Holladay Street bore the name of George Mason; the west end site on the corner of St. James Avenues and Smith Street, the name of John Randolph; and the colored site on the corner of Smith Street and Lee Street, the name of Booker T. Washington.

These three sites were approved by an act of the Virginia Assembly on February 20, 1912.  This one building, Booker T. Washington, housed 497 students and 9 teachers, with Professor Andrew J. Brown as principal.  The congestion was so great that the school board rented two rooms in the Solomon Lodge #27 Improved Ancient Order of the Children of Israel on Smith Street, and employed two teachers.  The school board also rented space in the Samaritan Hall on Pine Street and the Odd Fellows Lodge Hall on Tynes Street.  These school facilities taught up to the eighth grade.  In 1923, the ninth grade was added.

In 1925, the new Booker T. Washington School was completed with ten classrooms on Lee Street.  In 1934, two additional classrooms were added with an auditorium on the second floor which also served as a basketball court.  It was also in this auditorium that the junior-senior prom was held.

With this addition to the school, the Negro pupils of Suffolk advanced to a four year, standard state approved high school, with the eleventh grade as the graduation point.  Professor Edward D Howe was the supervisory principal and J. Fenton Peele, Jr. was the assistant principal.

Graduation ceremonies for the first graduating class of the Booker T. Washington High School were held in the First Baptist Church on Mahan Street in June 1937.

Each year, the student enrollment continued to increase.  There was overcrowding in each classroom and some classes were conducted in hallways.  These conditions were of such magnitude that the Booker T. Washington PTA appointed a committee to contact the Suffolk City School Board to discuss the possibility of building a new high school.  Members of this committee were Exyie Chambliss, chairperson; Moses A. Riddick, Vinnie Vann, Inez J. Taylor, and John R. Riddick.

After several meetings between the committee and the school board, it was finally decided by the board to purchase land on Walnut Street to construct a new high school building with the financial aid from the Birdsong Trust Fund.  This new high school was completed in 1953 with J. Fenton Peele, Jr. serving as principal.  Dedication exercises were held on November 4, 1953.  The address was given by Donald J. Howard, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

After several years of operation, in 1969, the school board was ordered to integrate the public schools in the City of Suffolk.  With this court order in effect, the last graduating class of Booker T. Washington High School held it's commencement exercises on June 5, 1969.  The speaker for this historic event, Attorney Lloyd Hurst of Greater Rochester, NY, was a member of the 1938 graduating class of Booker T. Washington.  The two sponsors for this last class were also alumni of the school - Maddie Deloise Vann, valedictorian of the class of 1939 and the late Alvin Grant Richards, Sr. of the class of 1943.

In 1970, Booker T. Washington became an intermediate school.  The names of the principals and their years of service at Booker T. Washington Intermediate School are: William Peachy, 1970-1972; Elgin Lowe, 1972-1974; William Owen, 1974-1976; William Hill, 1976-1983; Unity Bailey, 1983-1986; and Johnnie Edwards, 1986-1990.

In 1990, Booker T. Washington Intermediate School became an elementary school.  The names of the principals and their years of service are: Fred McCain, 1990-1992; Walter Biggs, serving May-June 1992; and Patricia Montgomery, 1992-present.

Today, Booker T. Washington School in the Peanut City of Suffolk, is the oldest continuing operational school in the Suffolk City School System.

With tears in our eyes and a smile on our lips, we, the alumni of Booker T. Washington School, living or deceased, from 1912 to now, over 90 years of continued service in the field of education to the community of Suffolk, Virginia, dedicate this history of our school to all the past and present teachers and instructors of our beloved school.  We cannot thank you enough for opening the doors of knowledge to us.  We can only say, "To God Be The Glory."