Vacant Former Elementary and High School Complex in VA

Millboro School, Millboro Virginia

Date added: July 19, 2024 Categories:

South front and west side elevation of original school and facade of 1933 Addition (2003)

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

The small village of Millboro is located in the eastern part of Bath County, a rural and mountainous county in the western part of the state. The Millboro School was constructed in 1916 and replaced an earlier log structure. This large, two-story, hip-roofed, brick building represented a new educational era in Virginia when the state created architectural plans and provided financial assistance in guaranteeing the bonds for the project. The school's simple form reflects the growing popularity of using classical designs for public buildings in the early twentieth century. Throughout much of the twentieth century, the school facilities were expanded and additional structures were added to the site. In 1933, a new building was constructed on the site and contained classrooms for elementary students and a gymnasium/auditorium wing. This new structure was similar in size and form to the original school and in the same year a smaller brick home economics building was erected on the site as well. Three years later an agricultural building housing a shop and classrooms was added. In 1962, a third structure was erected behind and connected to the two earlier buildings. This one-story rear wing housed school offices, a new library room, science lab, physical education locker rooms, and new restrooms. This entire complex continually grew and evolved to meet the educational needs of area residents from 1916 until the site was closed in 1989 at which time new facilities were constructed to replace the aging buildings.

For most, if not all, of the twentieth century, the Bath County community of Millboro has had a school. The first documented school in this railroad village was a one-room log structure in existence before 1915. That structure had been converted to a school from its original use as the tack shop for the Millboro Livery Stable. Upon its conversion from tack shop to school, it was moved across the road. Once that log school was replaced in 1916, it was converted again, this time into a home. Eventually it was framed out so that the one-room log portion was at the center of the larger house.

In 1916, a modern two-story (with a basement) brick structure was built based on plans provided by the Virginia State Board of Education. Unfortunately those original plans no longer exist, but the construction cost of $10,000 (equal to $168,187 in 2001) was located on a later school site inventory chart. The school reflected a statewide push by Virginia toward upgrading, enlarging, and modernizing public educational facilities, particularly in more remote regions like Bath County. The move from a single-room log school to a beautiful new brick building must have brought a great deal of pride to the village of Millboro. Certainly the school became the focal point of many community activities in addition to the normal educational use.

The school contained grades one through eleven, all that was required in Virginia at the time. The principal when the school opened was E.R. Dobbins who served from 1916 to 1918. Two years after it opened, the school was accredited, in 1918. Serving as principal from 1918 to 1919 was Daniel B. Smith. Fontaine Fortune was principal from 1919 to 1920 and E.R. Riedel was head of the school from 1920 to 1924. From 1924 to 1926 Mrs. Susie Dunn was principal, followed by Theodore R. Sinclair from 1926 to 1927 and S.P. Bennington from 1927 to 1928. A.C. Hankla followed from 1928 to 1929, then K.D. Browning from 1929 to 1930, and Carroll Catterton from 1930 to 1931.

In 1931, C.E. May came to Millboro as principal and remained for a decade. He led the thriving school into an era of expansion. In 1933, the Bath County Enterprise noted that the "new building at Millboro School (was) completed December 1^st, 1933." That two-story brick structure, which was very similar in appearance to the original building, cost $25,000 (about $312,000 in 2001). The student capacity of the addition was 106 (or four classrooms) as compared to the 211-student capacity of the 1916 building, but it also contained an auditorium and gymnasium. The additional classroom space in the new addition was for primary grades. A breezeway was immediately built to connect the two parts of the school. Also in 1933, a story-and-a-half brick Home Economics Cottage was constructed on the 22.5-acre site. The cottage was located beside the original school building. After the school became an elementary school in 1970, the home economics building was used to house special education classes. Although statistics on the school population are scarce for this period, there were 307 students and 11 teachers during the 1934-1935 school year. At the conclusion of that year, 16 students graduated.

In 1936 a $3,000 one-story agricultural building that included a shop and classroom space was built on the site, northwest behind the original cluster of buildings and close to Church Street. After the consolidation of Bath County high schools in 1970, that building was used for art classes. Both the home economics cottage and the agriculture building were undoubtedly the result of the state and federal push during this period for the inclusion of vocational training in rural areas and the use of public schools as the venue for extension work in farming communities. The effects of the Smith Hughes Act or the National Vocational Education Act of 1917 began to be felt on the secondary level in Virginia in the late 1920s and early 1930s. As home economics and agriculture teachers graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, many accepted jobs in the rural high schools where they mentored to students and farm families from those communities. To that same end, a one-story community cannery was constructed at the back of the school complex in 1944 at a cost of $4,000. The construction was completed despite the fact that the country was at war and is indicative of how completely intertwined the community and the school were. Sometime before 1961, a garage was also built between the agriculture building and the cannery. Both the cannery and garage no longer exist.

In 1961, the Virginia Department of Education contracted with the architectural firm of Hinnant, Addison & Hinnant to design an addition and alterations to the school. The addition connected the two older buildings from the back. The one-story addition was completed in 1962 by J. B. Wine & Sons of Staunton at a cost of $120,000. It housed grades 8-12, a library, science lab, guidance office, and administrative offices. From that point until 1970, the original 1916 building housed students in grades 5 through 12, the 1933 building had students in grades 1 through 4, and the new addition was for students in grades 8-12. The basement was completely remodeled at this time and Wm. P. Swartz, Jr. & Co., Inc. of Roanoke was the equipment provider according to records found in the former school offices.

The Millboro School principals during the three decades from C.E. May until the consolidation of Bath County high schools in 1970 were: E.W. Miller (1941-1943), George M. Hodge (1943-1945), R. Lynn Graham (1945-1948), George Bagby (1948-1951), Grant Rush (1951-1953), Fred K. Knoblock (1953-1956), John B. Farrar (1956-1959), Ernest R. Worrell (1959-1960), Thomas M. Capley (1960-1967), and Richard B. Linkenhoker (1967-1974).

The year 1970 marked an important change in Millboro School. The Virginia Department of Education was encouraging the consolidation of small high schools into larger, more modern facilities. In 1970 Millboro and Valley High School merged to become Bath County High School in Warm Springs. Millboro School became Millboro Elementary and continued to operate until 1989. With the departure of the high school students, the 1916 building was used for grades 4 through 7 and also contained the cafeteria. The 1933 building housed the 1^st through 3^rd grades and the library. In addition, students from the Bath County High School industrial arts class built a small pre-fabricated building south of the agricultural building to house the overflow of first grade students. The old breezeway built to connect the first two brick buildings was enclosed and used for kindergarten classes. According to plans recently found in the former school offices, a library addition for the school was designed by the Charlottesville architectural firm of Johnson, Craven & Gibson in 1980. It was slated to be a two-story brick wing to the east of the 1933 building but it was not constructed.

In addition, drawings of proposed modifications to the original school building also were found in the former offices by the Charlottesville architectural firm of Landow and deBettencourt. They were retained in 1983 to make modifications to entrances, the basement, and interior staircases but it appears that the work also was not carried out.

By the late 1980s, the aging Millboro School complex had probably outlived its usefulness as a public school. A report was prepared to assess the feasibility of renovating the old school, which had hazardous materials and age issues, versus building a new facility. The decision was made to close the doors of the old school and construct a new one. A 58-acre site was purchased from Stillwater Mills for $58,000 and a new school, designed by the Washington Design Group in Richmond and built by Frazier Construction in Lynchburg, was constructed there. The school was opened after Thanksgiving in 1989 and formally dedicated in April of 1990. The current principal, John M. Jenkins has led the school since 1975 and participated in the move to the new facility. He was preceded by Michael Westfall.

For most of the twentieth century, Millboro School served as a community centerpiece. Not only had hundreds of children and future community leaders received a quality education there, but also the school through its outbuildings and community programs had provided a vital agricultural extension service to the area. Finally, the presence of a modern facility such as Millboro School in the village made a statement. It said that, while Millboro might be described as remote, it could never be described as backward.

Building Description

The former Millboro School is a classically based schoolhouse design that was used widely in Virginia in the early twentieth century. The complex was built in three phases. The original two-story brick school building dates from 1916; a separate similar classroom structure with a gymnasium/auditorium wing was constructed to the east of the original building in 1933; and in 1962 a one-story building was built between the two existing structures. The complex is largely vacant and parts of the original building have suffered from water damage since the school's closing in 1989.

The 6.7-acre site of the school complex is located at the corner of State Route 668 (Church St.) and State Route 633 at the edge of the village of Millboro in Bath County. The site is relatively flat and open with several large evergreen and deciduous trees scattered throughout the front lawn. The property contains several additional structures. A brick, 1 1/2-story, home economics cottage was constructed in 1933 west of the original school. Three years later a larger one-story brick agricultural instruction building was put up behind the home economics cottage. In 1944 a one-story cannery was built on the site behind the other outbuildings and later a garage structure was placed nearby. Both of the buildings have been demolished. Two small structures relating to school bus operations remain on the site: a small brick records shed, and a concrete block storage shed. In the 1970s and 1980s two prefabricated structures were brought to the site to serve as additional classroom space. They are located on either side of the main complex: a modular structure to the west currently housing a medical clinic and a music trailer on the east side of the site. A community swimming pool and pool house were erected within the site behind the old school in 1998.

The original school building, constructed in 1916 and opened in 1918, was a typical state design of the early twentieth century when the Virginia State Board of Education was encouraging the upgrading and expansion of educational opportunities, particularly in rural areas. The simple and orderly design reflects the popularity of the neo-classical revival of that period. The two-story brick rectangular structure with five-course common bond rests on a raised concrete foundation. It has a standing-seam metal hip roof dominated by two tall central chimneys and a central hip dormer. The dormer's design has a Palladian motif with its arch and sidelights. The simple three-part classical cornice is capped with a deep overhang of the roof eave.

The symmetrical facade contains a central arched opening capped by a similar window element above. Sets of three separate tall six-over-six windows are located on each side of the central entry on both levels. The first floor windows have segmental arches while the second level openings are flat and have a hidden lintel. The square basement openings contain six-light casement windows. Access is gained to the school up a set of tapered concrete steps to the main entry consisting of a semi-circular arched fanlight capping a pair of nine-light paneled doors.

The west side elevation has similarly arranged windows as the facade except that there is a small semi-circular arched window on each level in the middle of the wall to light cloakrooms. One of the classroom windows at the northwest corner has been converted into a door for an added exterior metal fire escape. A small one-story addition has been added at the ground level below the fire escape and contained wash rooms for the cafeteria staff and entry to the kitchen. The east elevation is similar to the west except that the second floor central opening has been bricked up and the first floor arched opening has been adapted to connect to the later central addition.

The rear facade is very similar to the front of the building except that the second floor central opening has been bricked up. Also, the first floor arched entry has been partially enclosed to house a revised entry and connector to the gymnasium of the 1933 section and to the 1962 central addition.

The floor plan of the original school building is a center-hall plan flanked by a pair of open stairs leading to the second floor. There is a storage closet under each of these stairs. These stairs are open and have simple rectangular balusters, a plain railing and a fluted newel post. At the rear of the main hall there is a half flight of stairs leading to a central landing and rear exit. A pair of flanking stairs on each side of the landing leads to the basement. The first and second levels each contain four classrooms, one in each corner of the building. The two rear classrooms on the second floor have a movable partition between them. Cloakrooms divide each bank of classrooms and on the second floor they provide a direct connection between the two large spaces. Small, semi-circular arched windows light these cloakrooms. A partial height partition has been added at some time to the front area of the second floor hall to create a semi-private space.

The interior of the school retains many original features although moisture penetration has caused considerable damage to plaster ceilings and basement tile floors. Woodwork is typical of the period: flat board trim, three-panel and five-panel doors with flat board caps, simple tall baseboard, beaded tongue-and-groove wainscoting, and narrow tongue-and-groove pine floors. The painted upper panels of many three-panel classroom doors most likely originally contained some type of glass panel. Many schoolroom features such as doorway transoms, bulletin boards, chalkboards, storage cabinets and cloakroom hardware remain in the various spaces. Pendant florescent light fixtures remain in most of the spaces and most likely replaced earlier globe examples.

The basement contains a lunchroom on the west side and a large kitchen area on the east. There is a cloakroom space at the base of the rear stair entry area and a dishwashing room located at the front of the basement between the lunchroom and kitchen. Additional storage spaces and restrooms are located off of the kitchen. This floor was completely remodeled in 1962 and Wm. P. Swartz, Jr. & Co., Inc. of Roanoke was the equipment provider according to records found in the former school offices.

In 1933 a new classroom structure with a gymnasium/auditorium wing was erected east of the existing school. Like the original building, the new design is a two-story, brick, hip-roofed structure with a plain cornice and deep soffit. The brick pattern is five-course common bond with darker headers used as decorative courses in several locations. The building's symmetrical facade has three bays with a projecting central entry bay. It contains a semi-circular arched entrance that is recessed and flanked with bands of classroom windows. Access is gained from a short flight of concrete steps that are flanked by a pair of stone-veneered low piers whose height corresponds to the raised concrete foundation and water table.

The entry is surrounded by cast stone trim with a keystone at the top of the arch that is filled in with a pattern of rows of brick headers. Each of the pair of paneled entry doors has nine lights within it and is capped with a ten-light transom. A pair of wood, six-over-six, double-hung sash windows are located directly above the arched entry. On either side of the central bay at both levels are rows of five wood, six-over-six, double-hung sash windows set within a single masonry opening. The hip roof is clad with standing-seam metal and has snowbirds attached to the seams. The side elevations have fifteen-light, metal, casement windows that are defined by dark brick header surrounds as is a blank panel at the second level.

A flat-roofed, large, one-story, rear ell resting on a raised concrete foundation contains the gymnasium/auditorium. Its east elevation has five bays of large semi-circular arched metal casement windows with concrete sills. They are separated by exterior protruding brick piers with concrete caps and bases. The arched openings are defined by three rows of contrasting dark brick header surrounds. A tall brick chimney servicing a basement furnace protrudes from the northeast corner of the ell. Two rear frame exterior stairs provide access to each side of the stage area of the auditorium.

It appears that a one-story connector was made between the two existing structures before the third section was erected. This flat-roofed connector extends behind the original school to enclose the rear entry of that building and ties directly into the side of the gymnasium to the east. It is constructed with red bricks to tie into the existing buildings and has a five-bay facade divided by brick piers. Square proportioned six-over-three double-hung sash windows are placed between the piers except for the central entry. It consists of a pair of paneled doors with nine lights in the upper half of each door. A row of soldier-course brick creates a lintel over each window and the entry. Above the entry soldier course is a rectangular panel consisting of rows of dark brick headers.

The interior, like the original school, retains much of its original fabric but is in better condition than the old school. The center hall with a concrete floor leads directly back to a pair of double plain doors that open into the gymnasium. A classroom flanks the front west side of the center hall and a former library is located on the east side. Between these front spaces and the gymnasium wing is a transverse hall that leads to restrooms on each side of the building and also contains the staircase. This element has one-piece soapstone treads and risers and solid painted metal panels in place of balusters. Beige glazed brick-like tiles create a wainscot in the central hall and staircase and it continues throughout the second-floor hall.

The second floor contains two large corner classrooms separated by a smaller central classroom across the front of the building. A teachers' lounge is located behind the east classroom at the end of the transverse hall opposite the staircase. The front classroom on the west side has an additional internal room in the northwest corner of the second floor.

The classrooms retain many of their original features such as built-in cabinets, cloakroom areas, and chalkboards. Woodwork is simple and consists of single-paneled classroom doors many with six-light glass upper panels and six-light transoms. Trim is for the most part flat board, with tongue-and-groove paneling inside cloak areas and cabinets. The baseboards are large and flat.

The gymnasium/auditorium space has twelve, exposed, painted metal, ceiling trusses supporting the flat board ceiling and roof and resting on painted brick walls. A raised stage at the north end of the gym creates the dual use of the space. Doors and stairs on each side of the stage provide access to it and to exterior exits. Basketball goals are suspended from the ceiling and the maple tongue-and-groove floors have painted stripes to designate the basketball court.

The 1962 flat-roofed, one-story addition was placed behind the connector of the two original structures and extended behind the original 1916 building. Its east side ties into the west side of the gymnasium. The unadorned exterior is constructed with running bond brick masonry. It appears that a large bank of original windows on the west elevation was filled in with composition flat board siding and several one-over-one double-hung sash window units. This third section of the complex was designed by the Lynchburg architectural and engineering firm of Hinnant, Addison and Hinnant and built by the Staunton contractor, J. B. Wine & Sons.

This new one-story wing has an internal north/south ramped corridor that links to the existing connector between the two buildings. This internal corridor leads to the rear of the property and provides an entry off of the parking area. The addition contains the school offices, storage and book rooms, additional classrooms, and restrooms. Also, girls' and boys' locker rooms are located within this wing off of the gymnasium and banks of lockers remain along the walls of the corridors. The interior of this third section has minimal detailing and walls are mostly plaster or drywall. Doors are flush and constructed of maple and doorframes are metal with no trim. Floors are concrete or vinyl tiles. It appears that original bands of classroom windows along the west exterior walls have been filled in later with areas of wood siding and several smaller double sash windows. Skylights illuminate the hall and office in this section. A Diebold walk-in vault is located off of the office that still retains its counter and teacher mailboxes. A 1983 report found on the office counter states that the ceiling in this space has a thirty-eight percent amount of asbestos within the finish coat of plaster. Lighting in this addition is surface-mounted fluorescent units.

The school property contains several additional structures that relate to the educational nature of the site. A brick home economics cottage was constructed on a concrete foundation in 1933 directly west of the original school. This 1 1/2-story, long rectangular structure has a metal standing-seam gable roof with cornice returns. Small brick flues penetrate the roof at the middle of the building and over the rear entry. The end gable facade has a central entry door flanked by windows and capped by a pair of windows above. The front door consists of three vertical lights over three vertical wood panels. The rear door has five vertical panels. Windows are three-over-one, and three-over-six double-hung sash. The lintels of all openings are a soldier course of bricks that creates a flat jack arch and the sills are concrete. The building is currently vacant and used for miscellaneous storage.

A larger one-story brick building was put up behind the home economics cottage in 1936. This structure's original use was for agricultural instruction. It is a long rectangular building with a central brick chimney rising from its standing-seam metal roof. Wood brackets support the deep overhang at each gable end. Along the four-bay front elevation are two shallow roof gables containing circular vents. A small, bracketed, metal roof entry gable protects the replacement door that is paneled and contains a semi-circular arched window. The foundation is concrete as are the water table and windowsills. Windows are single or paired nine-over-nine double-hung wood sash. The running brick bond has decorative details in each gable end including two rows of dark headers over each of three pairs of windows and stepped recessed brickwork with a central semi-circular arched vent. The north end elevation has an additional entry with a replacement door and pressure-treated lumber steps. There is a handicapped ramp at the main entry. The local Ruritan Club currently uses the building.

A brick, hip-roofed, fuel records structure was erected north of the shop building for school bus drivers to keep track of their vehicle's fuel usage. This very small shed probably dates from the mid-twentieth century. A small, painted concrete block, storage shed is located east of the fuel records shed and was used for bus maintenance items.

In the 1970s a prefabricated mobile structure was brought to the east side of the site next to the 1933 addition to serve as music classroom space. In 1987 a modular structure was placed directly south of the old shop building and served as a first grade classroom. It currently houses a local medical clinic.

In 1998 a community swimming pool and concrete block pool house were constructed.

A softball/soccer field is located behind the school between the swimming pool complex and the northern boundary tree line. An asphalt basketball court remains north of the former music trailer but the goals have been removed. New playground equipment has been installed next to this area for local residents' use. Vehicular entry is to the rear of the site from the southwest off of Church Street and the major parking area is located between the 1936 building and the main school complex. Several concrete walks connect the various parts of the property. In 1944 a one-story cannery was built on the site behind the other outbuildings and later a garage structure was placed nearby. Both of the buildings have been demolished.