This two-room schoolhouse served the African American community of Varina Grove from around 1910 until around 1955. African American landowners John and Polly Jeter purchased the adjacent 37 acres in 1873 and set aside one acre for the construction of a schoolhouse. In 1899, the Varina School District purchased the lot and eventually built the school. A St. James school in Varina dates to at least 1887, before the construction of the existing building. There may have been an earlier structure on the site, or classes may have been held at the St. James lodge across the street.