DATE: Tuesday, October 21, 1997             TAG: 9710210233

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   81 lines

GROUP SEEKS OLD BUILDING LINKED TO BLACK HISTORY

When Edna Hendrix addresses the School Board this afternoon, her topic will be history, but not what's taught in the classroom.

Hendrix wants the district to give up its rights to the building that once housed Union Kempsville High School, Princess Anne County's first and only all-black high school. She said descendants of the African-American residents who raised the money to buy the land and part of the money for the building want the site returned so it can be made into a museum or cultural center.

Hendrix said the deed, which contains a clause for returning the property, is on her side.

``If nothing else, they should give it back in good faith,'' Hendrix said.

But district officials say the law is on their side. Among other things, the statute of limitations for invoking the clause has long expired. And while they recognize the importance of what the land and building represent, they say, it now is serving another purpose that supports the education of all children.

``The educational purposes for which the building is being used outweigh it for use as a museum,'' said School Board Chairman Robert Hagans. ``I think (the original donors) would be satisfied. I think the purpose for which it was purchased has been served.''

A group of African-American parents formed the Princess Anne County Training School Association in 1925 and bought 4 acres of land at the corner of what is now Cleveland Street and Witchduck Road in 1926. At that time, black students could not attend high school in the county. To go beyond the seventh grade, they had to travel to Norfolk and pay tuition to attend Booker T. Washington High School.

For more than a decade, the parents battled the county school board, starting a school at a local church when their efforts made no progress. Finally, in 1938, a four-classroom cinder-block building opened on the land they had purchased and became the Princess Anne County Training School, later Union Kempsville High School. After enrollment dwindled with integration, the school closed in 1969.

At issue for Hendrix and some of the descendants of the original Training School Association members is a clause in the deed that gave ownership of the property from the people who bought it to the county school board. That portion of the deed says that if the board ``shall cease to use the property for a free high school purpose, the land shall revert to the grantor herein .

In the years since the high school closed, the original site has been used for district offices related to maintenance and custodial services, warehouse facilities, supply services and the like. The district has made additions to the original property and done repair and renovation work to the building and site.

However, because the building is no longer a high school, Hendrix and others are arguing, it should be returned for use as a museum or cultural center.

``When you think about what the parents went through to build this, what better place to build (a museum) in their honor?'' Hendrix asked. ``This is one of the historical landmarks in the area that represents black history.''

School officials who have met with Hendrix say they understand the building's significance, but they simply can't turn over a site that they have maintained and improved and that is now an integral part of a 30-acre complex that includes two schools. Even seeking historic landmark status could create problems because it could limit how the site could be used in the future, they said.

``Really, it is a poignant story. And we want to see some recognition of the sacrifice and dedication that went into establishing that school,'' said Kathy Bulman, assistant superintendent for media and communications development. ``We're willing to work with her on that. We're just not willing to turn over a multimillion-dollar building.''

School officials say they are willing to cooperate with Hendrix and her group in setting up a display or providing some other recognition.

But Hendrix said returning the building or agreeing to have it declared a historical landmark are the only acceptable alternatives. Legal action may be the next step, she said.

``The time has come. It's an issue that needs to be taken care of,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

...Edna Hendrix

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