Cornland School Foundation

Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp Grand Opening!

What a wonderful day!!! Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism did an outstanding job with the village, exhibits, and the ceremony! U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott, VA Delegate Cliff Hayes, Mayor Rick West, PRT Director Mike Barber, and Councilwoman and Board Chair Dr. Ella Ward gave addresses. It was well-attended! If you missed it, the Visitor Center will be open daily from 10-4 and the outside exhibits from sunrise til sunset. Cornland School Museum is still by appt. only, for now. Call 757-382-6411.

Several of us attended church service today and recognized church member and Cornland School alum, Mildred D. Brown, for her 96th birthday, which is July 28th! Miss Mildred continues to be an inspiration to us all! She was presented with gifts and flowers from her church as well as accolades from several. Dr. Ward, chair of the foundation, honored Miss Mildred for her history with Cornland School and her role in it becoming the museum that's now in the Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp. Happy 96th, Miss Mildred!

The journey -

With the opening of the Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp next week, here is an overview in photos of the long journey that brought us here. Cornland School is now preserved as a museum and is a part of the Historical Village which features a Visitor Center and exhibits on the Underground Railroad and Maroon communities. Other outside exhibits on commerce and trade, farming, and Indigenous peoples are planned. We are beyond excited to reach this point!

Cornland School's journey started in 2009 when the private owners of the school and property, Randy and Wanza Snead, approached Dr. Ella Ward, Chesapeake Councilwoman, and Dr. Curtis Alexander, about saving the school. From there, Dr. Ward formed the Cornland School Foundation, Inc. to work towards this goal and she has been the chair ever since. The foundation had the building stabilized to withstand further deterioration until such time its future home was decided. The foundation acquired the school from the Snead family, and then later donated it to the City of Chesapeake to be relocated on city-owned property on Glencoe St. as the anchor building for this village. Through many, many meetings, planning, fundraising, research, oral histories of alumni, and collaboration with federal, state, and city officials, it has brought us to this point. Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism has done a great job under the leadership of Director, Mike Barber, and Historical Services Manager, Jessica Cosmas. It's not the end of the journey, but a time to celebrate and take a step back to appreciate all that's evolved and look forward to the future. 🎉👏

Chesapeake recently honored one of Great Bridge High School's first Black graduates and football stars, Lora Hinton, at a Chesapeake City Council meeting.

Lora Hinton is too young to have attended Cornland School, but the correlation can't be missed. After Cornland School closed its doors in 1952, along with other small Black schools, those students went to the newly constructed Southeastern Elementary School, where Lora Hinton attended. In the late 60s, after Virginia's widespread resistance to integration, he became one of the first Black students to attend Great Bridge High School, became an outstanding athlete, and involved himself in school clubs and activities. After graduating in 1971, he received a football scholarship to LSU and became their first Black football player on campus, again, breaking barriers. In 2021, he was inducted to the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame. He continues to make Louisiana his home and is a highly respected member of his community.

Congratulations to Chesapeake native, Lora Hinton, for being recognized as an exemplary citizen!

Chesapeake honors one of Great Bridge’s first Black graduates and football star Chesapeake native Lora Hinton graduated in 1971 and went on to become Louisiana State University’s first African American football player.

Probably people are wondering about Cornland School and the new park. Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism has been working constantly to finish this park, but good old Mother Nature has been throwing assorted curve balls, one after another. It is going to be inspirational and wonderful when it is done.

Several of Cornland School's teachers graduated from Elizabeth City State University, earlier called Elizabeth City State Colored Normal School.

A few more photos from the "sneak peek" of the Visitor's Center. There's still lots to be completed, but what's done is beautiful! It will be amazing!

Yesterday was a "soft opening" for the visitors' center at the park. It is a beautiful building! Look for the grand opening in the spring.
Speakers included Mike Barber, head of PRT, Debbie Ritter, Vice-mayor, and Dr. Ella Ward, Council member and Chairperson of Cornland School Foundation.

We always honor our Cornland School alumni, but especially now during Black History Month. On Nov. 16, 2013, Cornland School Foundation held a reunion for the alumni. It was a great time for them to reunite and for everyone else to hear their stories of perseverance, learning, friendships, and treasured memories. Students from Grassfield High School’s Human Geography course conducted oral history interviews. On February 2, 2014, the Virginian Pilot featured an article from that reunion titled “taunts, long walks and a smoky stove”. If you are a Virginian Pilot subscriber, you can access this article in their archives. It is a powerful testament to the trials and tribulations experienced during the “separate but equal” time of segregation in education.

Alumni, Eula Riddick Brooks and Randolph “Randy” Snead, were two of several who were featured. They both have since passed, as have others. Cornland School once sat on private property owned by Randy and his wife, Wanza. We are so grateful that they and the Snead family were willing to part with the school so that future generations might learn what education in Norfolk County was like during the time of segregation.

Eula Riddick and her twin sister, Beulah, were the youngest of 11. They walked to and from school 5 miles each way. This was common for Cornland kids with no bus until 1941. Eula spoke of how the White kids would yell hateful things out the windows of their bus as they passed and sometimes threw objects. She told of learning in a 20x30 room with no electricity or running water. They had only one teacher for all 7 grades and used textbooks discarded by the White schools.

Randy Snead attended Cornland School through the 5th grade, then went to Southeastern Elem. (then all Black), and on to Crestwood High School to graduate. He earned a BA in math from Virginia Union University and, while there, took part in sit-ins at lunch counters to protest segregated restaurants. He landed a job in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and found discrimination existed there, too. They had separate bathrooms for Whites and Blacks and he said, “and naturally, the way I am, I went into the wrong one knowing I was wrong. Nobody bothered me.” At that particular time, he couldn’t get the engineering position that he was qualified for and he said, “The shipyard showed me something, so I became very, very protective of myself and my rights. I demanded my rights.” Some years later, he did get that position and retired from the shipyard in 1998.

Most of the alumni spoke of attending school fondly, remembering their teachers, friendships, and the education they received, despite the inequities and limited resources. They chalked it up to it just being the way things were, and you make the best of what you have.

The stories of the alumni shine a light on what it takes to have character, strength, perseverance, resiliency, and a thirst for knowledge. If you would like to learn more, please contact Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism Historical Services, 757-382-6411, and set up a time to tour the Cornland School Museum.

This month, Chesapeake Public Schools Podcast features Mr. Wade Sloan and Dr. Ella's Ward, our chair.
https://cpschools.com/page/amplified