Guide to the St Emma's Military Academy catalog and postcard, circa 1930s-1940s, 1943St Emma's Military Academy catalog and postcard C0380Published by George Mason University Libraries Contact Information:Fenwick Library (2FL) George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia 22030-4444 USA Phone: (703) 993-2220 Fax: (703) 993-8911 Email: speccoll@gmu.edu URL: http://sca.gmu.edu
Historical NoteSt. Emma's Military Academy was a school for African-American boys in Powhatan, Virginia. It was founded in 1895 as the St. Emma's Industrial and Agricultural Institute. The school's founders, Edward de Vaux Morrell and his wife Louise, were from Philadelphia. The school was located at Belmead, which had been a plantation where Philip St. George Cocke enslaved hundreds of Black men, women, and children. As noted by Greg McQuade in a news story for WTVR Richmond, "Ten thousand young men graduated in nearly 80 years. A stark contrast to the dark beginnings of Belmead," ("Former cadets push to save old African-American military academy"). Robert Walker, a graduate of the school, said, "You would leave here with a military diploma. A trade diploma and an academic diploma,"(quoted in McQuade, "Former cadets push to save old African-American military academy"). St. Emma's Military Academy closed in 1972. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentProgram catalog and postcard sent by a student from St. Emma's Military Academy, a high school for African-American boys in Powhatan, VA. The catalog, probably created in the 1930s or 1940s, contains details about the course of study and life at the school. The postcard, from 1943, is written by Ernest Noble to his mother Sadie Noble in New York City. Return to the Table of Contents ArrangementThis collection contains two items. Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsConditions Governing AccessThere are no access restrictions. Conditions Governing UseThere are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the St. Emma's Military Academy catalog and postcard must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries. Return to the Table of Contents Related MaterialThe Archives and Special Collections of Manhattan College and the De La Salle Christian Brothers hold material from St. Emma's Military Academy in the De La Salle Christian Brothers Archives of the Baltimore District. Return to the Table of Contents Index Terms
Subjects:African American children -- Education
African American schools
Military education
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred CitationSt. Emma's Military Academy catalog and postcard, C0380, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries. Immediate Source of AcquisitionPurchased by Lynn Eaton from Jerry Jordan in November 2019. Processing InformationProcessed by Liz Beckman in December 2020. EAD markup by Liz Beckman in December 2020. Return to the Table of Contents Bibliography |