The Second Street School

The simple one-room school was built in 1866 and opened under the auspices of the Freedmen's Bureau as Waterford's first school for the black community. The Friends' Association of Philadelphia, Waterford's local Quaker meeting, and a colored educational board provided additional support. From the beginning, the building served as both church and school for African Americans in the area, and African Methodist services were held there until 1891, when John Wesley Church was built near the mill. The school served African Americans from 1867 to 1957. It is one of the older one-room schoolhouses in Loudoun County and may be the oldest African-American house of worship. The Waterford Foundation acquired the building in 1977, and it is now the site of a living-history program for area fourth graders role playing actual African-American students of 1880; more than 50,000 Loudoun students have attended.

Waterford, Virginia · United States