Woman’s Club: Carver 4-County Museum

Carver 4-County Museum board members Jane Pollard and Marlene Ware discussed the history of George Washington Carver Regional High School at the September meeting of the Woman’s Club of Orange County. (Photo Credit: Betty Ryalls)

The Woman’s Club of Orange County held its first meeting of the 2023-24 session Thursday, Sept. 14, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Guest speakers were Marlene Ware and Jane Pollard, members of the board of directors at the Carver 4-County Museum in Rapidan.

Ware and Pollard presented information on the establishment and history of George Washington Carver Regional High School, which was built in 1948 and remained open until the desegregation of schools took place in Virginia in 1968.

In 1946, representatives of five local counties addressed the Virginia State Board of Education in support of one regional high school to serve Black students within those counties. Greene County eventually chose to work with Albemarle County, leaving Orange, Madison, Culpeper and Rappahannock counties to eventually form the George Washington Carver Regional High School. Both Ware and Pollard are alumnae of the school and offered firsthand accounts of its teachers, academic program, sports and marching band.

This year, the George Washington Carver Regional High School Alumni Association is celebrating the 75th anniversary of opening the first and only high school in Virginia to serve four counties of students. The association continues to be involved with education by offering scholarships to graduating seniors. Since 1999, the alumni association has issued 219 scholarships totaling $196,500.

The Carver 4-County Museum is free and open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit www.carver4cm.org.

Woman’s Club President Darleen O’Connor also welcomed back all new and returning members, and all committees reported during the September meeting. Plans were discussed for the club’s October field trip to the Mountain Museum and the Criglersville Monument to Displaced Residents of the Blue Ridge, with lunch following at Pig and Steak.

New members are always welcome to join the club. Each meeting features a guest speaker from Orange County, followed by a short business meeting and refreshments. Those interested in becoming a member can contact Dorothy at cluffd@verizon.net for more information.

- Betty Ryalls and Rita Flyzik, Publicity Committee, Woman’s Club of Orange County