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The tribute happened over the weekend. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources honored a piece of regional history by putting up a state marker for Luther H. Foster High School.

The facility closed its doors in 1970 after educating Black students for two decades during the period of racial segregation in Virginia’s public school system in the 20th century. The event took place on Saturday, July 20, in the cafeteria of Nottoway Middle School, located in the town of Crewe.

The marker dedication was hosted by the alumni of Luther H. Foster High School. Etta Booker Neal, of the Class of 1965, served as the Mistress of Ceremonies at the event. Gilbert Hurte (Class of 1964) led the invocation and the Rev. Evelyn Fortune Morgan (Class of 1965) guided the reading of the Scripture. Sandra Farrar Branch (Class of 1966), President of the Luther H. Foster High School Alumni Association, provided welcoming remarks followed by a presentation of the school’s history from James Clarke (Class of 1967).

The ceremony then featured a recognition of significant dignitaries, elected officials, and teachers that impacted the school during its years of operation; a memorial tribute for deceased students and teachers; and musical performances by the Springhill Baptist Church Choir. A number of other people spoke at the dedication, including DHR Historical Marker Program Manager Jennifer R. Loux, Ph.D.; the Superintendent of Nottoway County Public Schools Tameshia Grimes, Ph.D.; William “Billy” Coleburn, Editor of the Courier Record newspaper; and members of the Nottoway County Board of Supervisors. A benediction led by the Rev. Roger Coleman then took place at the conclusion of the dedication.

A HISTORY OF LUTHER H. FOSTER HIGH

Luther H. Foster High School in the Nottoway County town of Crewe provided secondary education to Black students during the era of Jim Crow segregation in Virginia’s public schools in the 20th century. Planning for the new high school began by 1946, but the county proceeded with urgency after a federal court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in equalization lawsuits elsewhere in Virginia. Built at a cost of $680,000, the school first welcomed students in 1950. It was named for Halifax County native Dr. Luther Hilton Foster (b. 1888), a well-known leader in Black higher education who served as the fourth president of Virginia State University from 1943 until his death in 1949. The school closed in 1970 after Nottoway County fully desegregated its public schools. Despite facing the challenges of racial discrimination, many of the school’s alumni became educators, lawyers, doctors, civil servants, and military service members.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Luther H. Foster High School marker in June 2023. The Luther H. Foster High School Alumni Association, the sponsor of the marker, covered its manufacturing costs.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.