In the second half of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, many churches helped meet African Americans' need for schooling by raising funds for school buildings, sometimes with limited county assistance, while parents donated much of the labor and materials and took primary responsibility for the land and upkeep. Founded in 1890, Mizpah Presbyterian Church was part of this kind of collaboration, and in 1901 the Mizpah School was built on the land where the church still stands. The school served local Black children in grades 1-7, and its poorly paid teachers often lived with students' parents, moving from one family to another while also maintaining the building by sweeping, oiling floors to keep dust down, tending the stove with coal or wood, and supervising the children. Even so, these teachers were highly respected in the South Boston community and were looked to for leadership. Because the school was connected with the church, students studied the three R's, memorized Bible verses, and sang hymns and other songs. Since many families depended on children to work in the fields, the school year was seldom more than four or five months long, and absenteeism was high. In 1935, the Mizpah School was converted into a community day care facility, one of the first at that time in southern Virginia. The Hon. William A. Kent, who lived from 1914 to 1993, served for many years as a church elder and clerk of the session, became South Boston's first African American elected to public office when he joined the city council in 1969, later served eight years as vice mayor and four years as mayor, retired in 1990 as mayor, and also owned and operated Kent's Funeral Service in South Boston.