WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Bray School building was moved Friday morning from its location on the campus of William & Mary to its new home at Colonial Williamsburg.
The building is believed to be the oldest extant building in the United States dedicated to the education of Black children. The new site is at the corner of Nassau and Francis streets.
Actual movement of the building across town by Expert House Movers began near the projected 8:30 a.m. start time, and was completed by around 11 a.m. With the exception of a couple of pauses to clear away tree limbs, the move went without incident in front of large crowds who turned out on the warm, sunny, spring-like morning.
“I am so excited that we are at the point of relocating — or re-siting — the Williamsburg Bray School. This moment represents a key milestone in the work of the Initiative to study, prepare and move the building to its permanent home in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area,” said Maureen Elgersman Lee, Director of the William & Mary Bray School Lab, in a press announcement.
“What I am equally excited about is the fact that this building will have even greater capacity to capture the public’s imagination and encourage university-community collaboration in the interest of researching and sharing broadly — and with compassion — the Bray School’s history as an educational enterprise and its legacies for the community. The building is a physical touchstone that helps bring the history of the school and of its students to life.”
William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg are slated to host a 30-minute ceremony Friday afternoon to commemorate the building and its history at 2 p.m. on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. The ceremony is open to the public.
