GLOUCESTER — The Gloucester Museum of History has launched its latest exhibit highlighting what school was like for Black Americans living in Gloucester during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The exhibit focuses on Gloucester Agricultural and Industrial School (Gloucester A & I) and features photographs as well as archival documents. These exhibits are meant to help museum visitors connect with the hundreds of students that attended the school between 1888 and 1933.
The school, which was also known as Cappahosic Academy, was modeled after Hampton Agricultural and Industrial Institute, now known as Hampton University. The school is also noted as having existed during segregation in the “Jim Crow” era. As a result, educational opportunities for Black Americans were not as readily available.
In response, the school’s curriculum included scientific farming, college preparatory and teacher training. The success of Gloucester A & I helped pave the way for other Black American institutions such as T.C. Walker’s Gloucester Training School.
“The amazing history of this school is not very well-known, and we are honored to help tell its story and preserve its legacy,” said the Museum Coordinator Robert Kelly.
The Gloucester Museum of History is open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is located in the heart of downtown Gloucester on Main Street.
For more information, please visit the Gloucester Museum of History website.
