George Washington Carver | ‘Separate but equal’

At a time when black students desired an “equal education” in Culpeper and surrounding counties, the George Washington Carver Regional High School provided that and much more. The segregated school — named for the black American scientist — opened its doors in 1948 to 452 black students, offering a curriculum along with a sense of social solidarity.

It began with 14 teachers, a principal, a secretary, a cafeteria manager, janitor and parent volunteers. The two-story school experienced rapid growth, causing school officials to add eight classrooms shortly after opening. GWC quickly gained state and national attention before closing its doors in 1968. It served 2,500 students in 20 years, and many of Culpeper’s black leaders attended GWC.

In 1969, the building was converted to a vocational high school serving Culpeper, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties. At that time, the school was renamed Piedmont. Twenty-three years later, the GWC high school Alumni Association initiated the idea to reinstate Carver’s name. In 1993, the school was renamed the George Washington Carver-Piedmont Technical Education Center. Carver is pictured at right. » Stories by Rhonda Simmons