John S. Mosby Academy
| John S. Mosby Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
Front Royal, Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 38°56′10″N 78°12′14″W / 38.936222°N 78.2038893°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Opened | 1959 |
| Closed | 1969 |
| Grades | 8-12 |
John S. Mosby Academy was a private high school in Front Royal, Virginia, established in 1959 when the city's schools were ordered to desegregate following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling.[1] It was named for John S. Mosby, a Confederate colonel.
The same year, Warren County built Criser High School (1-12) for black children. Mosby and Criser were part of a political stratagem called massive resistance.
Construction and funding
[edit]The school was initially proposed by Chuck Leadman, business agent of the local branch of the Textile Workers Union of America. Leadman solicited $1-per-week donations from his union members to pay for its construction. Leadman described Front Royal as a racial "utopia" free of violence, although the local white population fired live ammunition at a black church when its pastor opposed the project. When the Textile Workers Union international learned of Leadman's project, they froze the local's assets and seized the donations. A court upheld their actions and Leadman was subsequently removed from his position.[2][3]
With the union funding seized, tuition at Mosby was covered in part by state tuition grants. Grants to a "nonprofit, nonsectarian private school", even segregation academies, were upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.[4] On March 9, 1965, in Griffin v. State Board of Education state tuition grants to white-only schools were found to be unconstitutional.[5]
Enrollment and closure
[edit]In 1961, 1000 students enrolled in the school. However, enrollment sharply dropped with the end of state subsidies, and the school closed in 1969.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Keelor, Josette (Oct 17, 2014). "Classmates recall divided schools". Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Textile Union Seizes Virginia Local Over Plan to Aid Private School." The Washington Post, May 16, 1960
- ^ Elsie C. Carter, "Shangri-La in the Shenandoah Valley." The Washington Post, Jan 15, 1961
- ^ "Text of Supreme court's Decision ordering Virginia County to Reopen Its Schools". New York Times. May 26, 1964. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ "Griffin v State Board of Education". E.D.Va. March 9, 1965. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
239 F. Supp. 560 (1965)
- ^ Joanne Reckler. "Va. Academy Unfazed by Loss of Tuition Aid: Southside to Maintain Segregated Schools Va. Academy Unfazed by Tuition Aid Loss Desegregated School Negroes Seek Desegregation Social Problem Cited." The Washington Post, Mar 9, 1969