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Archaeologists Unearth Foundation of 1760s Schoolhouse For Black children

July 29, 2025

Archaeologists at William & Mary have discovered an intact foundation and artifact-filled cellar from a 1700s building that once housed the Williamsburg Bray School, the nation's oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children. The school educated hundreds of mostly enslaved students in the 1760s before later serving as a private residence and eventually becoming part of William & Mary's campus, where it was used as dormitory housing for some of the first female college students in America. After historians identified the structure in 2020 using tree ring dating, it was relocated to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for restoration while archaeologists continue excavating the original site.

Who is affected

  • Hundreds of mostly enslaved Black students who attended the Williamsburg Bray School in the 1760s
  • Descendants of the Bray School students
  • Methodist women who resided in the building from 1924 to 1930
  • Researchers and archaeologists from William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg
  • The broader Williamsburg community and those interested in Black education history

What action is being taken

  • Archaeologists are excavating the foundation and cellar, uncovering artifacts like slate pencil fragments, jewelry, and ceramics
  • The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is restoring the schoolhouse after it was relocated there
  • The museum is working to identify descendants of the Bray School students
  • William & Mary is renovating Gates Hall as part of a major project that enabled the archaeological discovery
  • Researchers are analyzing artifacts from different time periods to understand the building's various uses

Why it matters

  • The discovery provides new insights into early American education, particularly for Black students
  • The building represents a complex historical narrative where enslaved students gained literacy despite the school's framework that rationalized slavery
  • The site connects multiple historical periods, from 18th-century education through early 20th-century women's college experiences
  • The archaeological findings help document the intertwined history of Williamsburg and William & Mary
  • The artifacts reveal how literacy provided agency to enslaved individuals who shared their knowledge with family members

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint