Lylburn Downing School
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Directions to next stop ↗From the 1940s-1965, high school students traveled to Lexington to continue their education at Lylburn Downing High School. The once-segregated Lylburn Downing School opened in 1927, replacing the overcrowded Freedmen’s Bureau School (also known as Central School and Lexington Colored Graded School) on Randolph Street. Thanks to pressure from local Black parents and activists, Downing originally served grades one through nine, then later expanded to include a high school, first granting degrees in 1944. The newer building now houses Lylburn Downing Middle School. Born enslaved in 1862, Lylburn Downing attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and became a respected Presbyterian minister in Roanoke. A longtime civic leader, he was a passionate advocate for education for African Americans, serving on integrated statewide educational committees. His parents attended Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s Sunday School lessons at Lexington Presbyterian Church. The county-wide African American school named for Reverend Downing was built in 1927. It sits atop Diamond Street, next to Richardson Park, which was named for local mid-20th century civic leader and Scoutmaster Leroy Richardson.
- Where
- 302 Diamond St, Lexington, VA 24450
- Phone
- +1 540-463-7146
About
This countywide school for Black students opened in 1927 and closed in 1965 when schools were desegregated. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the original building now houses the central office of Lexington City schools. The larger building to the east is the home of Lylburn Downing Middle School. The school is named for Lexington native Lylburn Downing (1862-1937), a Presbyterian preacher and an advocate for African American education.