History

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Today, we check out the Carver-Price Legacy Museum, the site of a historic Rosenwald School in Appomattox, Virginia!

In the late-19th and early 20th centuries, educational opportunities for African Americans in the South were few and far between. Seeing the need, in 1917, Jewish businessman Julius Rosenwald formed the Rosenwald Fund with the intent of supporting artistic, educational, and other needs. One of the largest aspects was a program to fund the building of schools for African Americans across the American South. Carver-Price High School was one such school.

The school, founded by Mozelle J. Price in 1919, initially operated out of a local church. Enrollment grew, and by 1928 the school had moved into its own building, built with support from the Rosenwald Fund. Renovations and expansions eventually resulted in the current building, completed in 1952.

During the 1950s, the school provided education for students in neighboring Prince Edward County, which had closed all its schools in protest of integration. Classes grew well beyond their normal size, but no one was turned away. Many families moved to Appomattox County to take advantage of the school’s hospitality.

Today, the school still stands on its original site in Appomattox, Virginia, as an excellent reminder of an important part of American history.

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As we look forward to spring on campus and in the History Department, the weather continues to change daily. The snow has melted, and we are thankful for the days without inclement weather, but we still remember that such weather can have a deadly effect.

March 18, 2026, marks the 101st anniversary of the deadliest tornado in U.S. history: the Tri-State Tornado. Several weather factors coincided to set the tornado in motion, which has led meteorologists to name those conditions a “perfect storm.” On that day, a surface low-pressure system sat over the Missouri-Arkansas border that moved northward, mixing with a warm front also moving north, resulting in catastrophe.

A major factor that contributed to the high death toll was the ban of the word “tornado” by the National Weather Bureau until 1950. The Bureau was concerned with the early forecasting by meteorologists and did not think any forecasting would be accurate enough to inform the public. However, this caused more harm than good.

During the afternoon, the Tri-State Tornado began its path in southeastern Missouri, but it was only a small tornado. It grew rapidly and hit Annapolis, Missouri, a mining town, and destroyed 90% of the town’s buildings. The tornado then rolled through southern Illinois in Murphysboro, killing 243 individuals, the most deaths of any municipality. Finally, the tornado ended almost 4 hours later in southern Indiana.

Modern standards have considered the Tri-State Tornado an F5, with the width of the funnel estimated to be a mile wide. There were at least 695 deaths and over 2,000 injuries from the Tri-State Tornado, not including casualties from at least 7 other tornadoes that spawned from the main funnel, roaring through Kentucky and Alabama. This tragedy is a firm reminder of the blessing that comes from fair weather.

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As the spring semester closes out, we want to recognize the Graduate Student Assistants who will be graduating in May. First up is Adaline Brenning!

I am currently writing my thesis on the women of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II! The OSS was the first centralized intelligence agency in the US, and it was the CIA’s predecessor. My first chapter describes the process of recruiting, assessing, and training female personnel; my second chapter is about women serving in stateside offices from Washington, DC to San Francisco, and my third chapter is about women serving overseas. I am excited to be telling these often-overlooked stories of brave and faithful servicewomen who answered their country’s call and touched every aspect of WWII! After I graduate, I will be pursuing a career as a History or Social Studies teacher in one of the Lynchburg area schools!