Williamsburg Bray School, once dedicated to the education of enslaved and free Black children, is thought to be the oldest extant structure in the Northern Hemisphere—and it’s now being restored to its former glory for a new purpose. 

Researchers from Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary announced eight months ago that they’d found the original structure. Moves are now being made to relocate the institution to Colonial Williamsburg’s historic campus, as it is poised to become a focal point of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to tell a more complete story of 18th-century America, per a press release. 

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The original structure of the modest, white institution, which educated hundreds of Black children from 1760 to 1774 in an endeavor to impart Christian values, has been overshadowed by renovations over the years.  

The modern additions make it difficult to envision the 18th-century schoolhouse that has piqued the interest of historians and the general public, but that will change in the coming years, as the newly formed Bray School Board unanimously voted to remove the modern additions and restore it to its original state. 

“This nondescript building that was hidden in plain sight for decades is taking The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and William & Mary in a new and exciting direction,” Colonial Williamsburg President and CEO Cliff Fleet said in the press release. “This important work will expand our understanding of 18th-century America and add to our body of knowledge about this important time in our nation’s history.”

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Upon its arrival, the Bray School will be the 89th original structure on Colonial Williamsburg’s property and the first new addition to the Foundation’s historic structures since the 1960s. 

The organization hopes to complete the restoration by 2024, marking the 250th anniversary of the school’s closing on the eve of the American Revolution. 

“This partnership between William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg promises to transform our nation’s understanding of the intertwined histories of race, slavery, education and religion in America,” William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe said. “Each intersects in the story of the Bray School. Bray School research will illuminate what it means to educate justly.” 

The university and foundation are also undertaking a project to explore the history of the building, focusing on understanding the school from the viewpoints of the families whose children attended it, among other initiatives. 

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