The Navy Hill School was named after the Navy Hill neighborhood, a section that gained its name from the U.S. Navy's actions during the War of 1812. Before the establishment of public schools in Richmond in 1869, the Richmond Education Association operated a school for African American children in a set of frame buildings at this location. This school, initially led by R.M. Manly, a former chaplain in the Union Army, was funded in part by the Freedmen's Bureau and employed Black teachers.

In 1877, the Richmond School Board began renting these buildings and continued to retain the Black teaching staff, making Navy Hill the only school in the area with a fully African American faculty for many years. Due to the high rental cost, the School Board purchased the buildings for $1,850 and expanded them by adding three additional rooms.

In 1883, the school briefly had its first black principal, A. V. Norrell.

In 1890-91, $20,000 was appropriated for the construction of a new school building on the adjacent lot. This new facility opened on April 14, 1893, and served grades 1 through 7. The original frame buildings were abandoned and remained standing until the 1950s, when they were demolished to make room for the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike.

In 1952, an auditorium-cafeteria was added to the school. Throughout its history, Navy Hill School experienced frequent leadership changes, earning the distinction of having more principals than any other school in Richmond.

The school was closed on September 17, 1965, after 72 years of operation. The building was demolished to make way for an interchange between Interstate 64 and the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. Students were transferred to Baker School and George Washington Carver School.

Following the demolition of the main school building, the 1952 auditorium-cafeteria was repurposed. It was used by the Department of Parks and Recreation and later housed special education classes. In the 1970s, it became the first home of the Children’s Museum of Richmond, serving as an important community resource in its new role.

List of Honor Roll Pupils can be found in the Richmond Planet Archives.

Baker School, named after the adjacent street, was one of the first public schools built by the City of Richmond, opening on December 1, 1871. Initially serving grades 1 through 9, the school later focused on Junior Primary grades 5 or 6. In 1908-09, when the Colored Normal School's building was condemned, Baker temporarily housed the Normal School, and its students attended Moore School in the afternoons. Overcrowding led to part-time classes by 1911-12, and an annex was built in 1914 to accommodate growing enrollment.

In 1914, it was the site of the first Black public kindergarten in Richmond, which opened in 1914. This program was established with assistance from the National Kindergarten Association, which funded the teacher’s salary in exchange for proper facilities and materials. By the following year, the kindergarten was so popular it had to operate on a morning-afternoon shift schedule. Henrietta French, a teacher from Chicago, was hired to lead the program, residing in the nearby home of  Jospeh S. Gilpin, at 1009 St Peter St, before moving to the Carter residence at 808 St James St in 1918. Her tenure may have ended due to the school closures during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic.

During the 1918 flu epidemic, the school was converted into a hospital for African American patients. A group of 22 Black physicians, including Dr. William H. Hughes, volunteered to organize and lead medical care at the Baker facility. These physicians provided critical care, treating flu victims at a time when hospitals were overwhelmed, and resources were stretched thin. The city’s public schools were closed from October 4 to November 6, 1918, to help curb the spread of the flu, leading to lost instructional time. To make up for this, the school board extended the school year and shortened vacations.

The original building, described as an "antiquated fire trap," was demolished in 1939 to make way for a new, modern 28-classroom school, which opened in September 1940. This new facility, built with federal assistance, was described as the most modern elementary school unit in Richmond, equipped with advanced features like proper bathrooms, cafeteria, 40 modern classrooms, a combined auditorium and playroom, a home economics room, a library with 4,000 books, a nurse's office, and space for 1,200 students. The facility became one of the most advanced elementary schools in Richmond, replacing both the old Baker and Monroe School, with 400 students transferred from Monroe. In 1942, Katherine L. Johnson became principal.

Over the years, Baker’s enrollment fluctuated due to the construction of nearby housing projects and the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. Under the city's educational reorganization, Baker was paired with Southampton under Plan III, and in the late 1970s, it temporarily hosted the Norrell School program. The school ceased operations as an elementary school in June 1979 and was renamed in honor of Katherine L. Johnson, a former principal.

List of Honor Roll Pupils can be found in the Richmond Planet Archives.

The Monroe School building in Richmond, Virginia, holds a distinguished place in American history as the first public school for African American students in the nation to be designated a historic landmark. Originally constructed as an armory for African American troops during the Spanish-American War, it was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, in recognition of the nearby Monroe Street. After the war, the building was transferred to the Richmond School Board, which repurposed it as an elementary school for African American children.

In 1927, the Monroe School became home to the Armstrong Normal Department, a program dedicated to training African American teachers. This department continued to operate in the building until it was abolished in 1933. In 1936, Katherine L. Johnson was appointed principal. Afterward, Monroe continued to serve as an elementary school until 1940, when students were moved to Baker School. From that point onward, the building served as an annex to Armstrong High School and, later, to Benjamin Graves Junior High School beginning in 1952.

In addition to its educational significance, the Monroe building also played a role in World War II, when a gymnasium was added to the structure. During the war, African American troops used this gymnasium, further highlighting the building’s connection to both military history and African American civic life.

In 2016, the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia found its new home in the historic Leigh Street Armory, a building with its own complex and significant history. The Leigh Street Armory, which had suffered from neglect, a devastating fire, and abandonment, was declared surplus property by the city in 1981, remaining padlocked until 2002. However, with the help of a grant from Save America’s Treasures, a national preservation program, the armory underwent a major rehabilitation. The exterior brickwork was restored, new floors and a roof were installed, and the building was revived to serve as a cultural center. 

List of Honor Roll Pupils can be found in the Richmond Planet Archives.

Van de Vyver Catholic School, founded by Bishop Keane in 1887, became a cornerstone of Black education in Richmond, Virginia, and played a vital role in the local African American community for over seven decades. Initially starting as St. Francis Catholic School, the institution was established to fill the educational gap left by Richmond's segregated public school system, which often left Black children without adequate schooling options. The school expanded its offerings over time, becoming one of the largest private institutions for Black students in Richmond. It provided a comprehensive education, offering kindergarten through high school courses in subjects ranging from traditional academics like reading, writing, and arithmetic, to vocational training in trades such as dressmaking, tailoring, and auto mechanics.

However, the Van de Vyver School, along with St. Joseph's Catholic Church, was closed in 1969 as part of the broader process of integration during the Civil Rights Movement. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond, in an effort to integrate local schools, closed Black parishes and schools, encouraging African American families to attend predominantly white parishes and schools. This decision was painful for many in the community, as it marked the end of a cherished institution that had been central to their lives

Hartshorn Memorial College, founded in 1883, was created to educate African-American women. Established with funds from Joseph C. Hartshorn in honor of his wife, the college began classes in the basement of a Ebenezer Baptist Church before relocating to the former Bowe plantation (now Maggie L. Walker High School). In 1892, it awarded the first baccalaureate degrees to African-American women. 

The College focused on academics with a strong emphasis on teacher education, including a "model classroom" program. The curriculum also included health, fitness, and homemaking courses. The faculty was mostly women, with Rosa Kinckle Jones as the only African-American faculty member. The school was known for its strict environment, including chapel attendance, a dress code, and a ban on sweets. Students were encouraged to support temperance and were involved in activities with Virginia Union University and their own campus events.

In 1932, Hartshorn merged with Virginia Union University.

Virginia Union University (VUU), founded in 1865, has a rich history that reflects the struggles, resilience, and achievements of African Americans during the Reconstruction era and beyond. Its origins trace back to the end of the Civil War, when Richmond, Virginia, was liberated by Union forces on April 3, 1865. In the aftermath of the war, the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) sent representatives to the city to help educate the newly freed African American population. That same year, eleven teachers from the ABHMS began offering classes for former slaves. By November 1865, these efforts culminated in the establishment of the Richmond Theological School for Freedmen, one of four institutions that would later form the basis of what is now Virginia Union University.

The ABHMS's mission was focused on providing education and training to African Americans, particularly in theological studies, to prepare them for leadership roles in the Baptist ministry. The original vision for the institution expanded over time, incorporating high school and college-level programs, as well as offering courses to both men and women. In the early years, the school faced immense challenges, particularly in Richmond, where the white population was largely hostile to the idea of educating freed African Americans. Despite these difficulties, the school gradually gained support from the Black community, especially through the assistance of local African American pastors and community leaders such as Reverend James H. Holmes, who became a key figure in the school's success. By 1870, the school had relocated from its initial site at Lumpkin's Jail (a former slave holding pen) to the former United States Hotel building, marking a new chapter in its development.

In 1876, the school was incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly as the Richmond Institute, and its curricula expanded to include preparatory, academic, and theological courses. The Richmond Institute became the first school in the South to employ African American faculty and teaching assistants. By the 1880s, the school began attracting students from outside of Virginia, including its first international graduate, Samuel M. Harden from Lagos, Nigeria, in 1879. In 1883, the ABHMS established Hartshorn Memorial College, a separate institution for the higher education of African American women. In 1886, Richmond Institute re-established itself as the Richmond Theological Seminary, focusing exclusively on theological training, and began granting the Bachelor of Divinity degree.

The merger of Richmond Theological Seminary with Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. in 1899 created the foundation for Virginia Union University. This union of institutions marked the beginning of a new era, as VUU became a center of African American higher education. A new campus was established on Lombardy Street in Richmond, and the university began offering a broader range of programs, including liberal arts, business, and education. The early 20th century saw the construction of several key buildings, including Pickford Hall, Kingsley Hall, and Coburn Hall, designed in the late-Victorian Romanesque Revival style. These buildings helped establish the university's distinctive and dignified presence in the city. The first president of Virginia Union University was Dr. Malcolm MacVicar, whose leadership was instrumental in securing the university's early success and growth.

Throughout the 20th century, Virginia Union University continued to evolve, adapting to the changing needs of African Americans in a segregated society. Under the leadership of Dr. George Rice Hovey, the university expanded its athletic programs and added new buildings to accommodate the growing student body. In 1932, Hartshorn Memorial College merged with Virginia Union, making the university co-educational. This period also saw the establishment of the university’s graduate programs, including the School of Theology in 1942. The university’s activism during the Civil Rights Movement was also significant, as VUU students participated in sit-ins and protests to desegregate Richmond's public spaces.

The latter half of the 20th century brought further change and development to the university. Under the leadership of Dr. John Malcus Ellison, VUU successfully campaigned to relocate the Belgian Building, a pavilion from the 1939 New York World's Fair, to the campus. This building became a symbol of the university’s progress and ambition. In the 1960s and 1970s, VUU continued to expand its academic offerings and infrastructure, with the construction of several new buildings and the development of new programs, such as the Criminal Justice program and a Police Academy. Notable figures such as Wyatt Tee Walker, Walter Fauntroy, and Charles Sherrod, all alumni of VUU, played key roles in the Civil Rights Movement during this period.

In recent decades, Virginia Union University has continued to grow and modernize. The university has strengthened its academic reputation, particularly in fields like business and theology, and has expanded its campus with the construction of new facilities such as the L. Douglas Wilder Library and the Sydney Lewis School of Business. VUU has also embraced technology, becoming the first historically Black college to implement a completely wired campus. With a continued focus on its mission of empowering African Americans through higher education, Virginia Union University looks to the future, maintaining its commitment to the values of freedom, equality, and social justice that were integral to its founding.

Richmond Planet, Nov 25, 1899