The Buckingham Training School, established on 9.25 acres through Stephen J. Ellis' long effort to create a secondary school for African American students in the Buckingham County area, grew from his organization of the County-wide League for School Improvement and, after little help from the school board, his local fundraising campaign that secured support from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck, and Co., helped finance the construction of more than 5,000 schools for African Americans in 15 Southern states, including more than 350 in Virginia. Completed in 1923, the original building had a four-room design for graded classes, and Thomas L. Dabney was the first principal. The campus served as the only secondary school for African American students in Buckingham County until 1954, and though it began with modest enrollment, it expanded to include a vocational shop for teaching trades. The persistence and dedication of the African American community helped the school overcome many challenges, including the lack of county-provided student transportation. In 1954 the school closed after Carter G. Woodson High School for African Americans was built, and renamed Stephen J. Ellis Elementary School, the campus reopened in 1963 when racial integration led to the consolidation of Buckingham County's schools.