3-02-2026 12:55pm

From The Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run:

John Williams Editor

Photo by The Spotsylvania County Museum

From the Spotsylvania County Museum at Lick Run

🍎As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, let's uncover how African American women played a crucial role in shaping Spotsylvania's education system.

Following the end of slavery in Virginia, the path forward for Black Spotsylvanians was often uncertain. While some residents departed the war-torn area, others remained to become the foundation of Spotsylvania's newly established school system. For many local women, a career in education became a vital pursuit amidst the severe poverty inflicted upon the region by the Civil War. These women, such as Otelia Upshaw, attended colleges to become qualified educators. Despite limited resources and a reliance on funds raised by local Black churches, they used discipline, kindness, prayer, and skill to keep their classrooms productive and their students eager to learn.

Want to learn more about how the post-Civil War era transformed the lives of Black Spotsylvanians? Visit the Spotsylvania County Museum! We're open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6159 Plank Road (except some major holidays).

#BlackHistoryMonth #education #teachers #womenshistory #spotsylvania