Harmony Church Freedmen's School
Edited 8/18/2023
Research is on going in sporadic fashion to locate the exact location of the school, which appears to be near a tree in the "colored" section of the graveyard.
According to the lead Researcher (Ami Neiberger) in 2021, "In the process, we’ve discovered that the original deed to the church includes a reference to a school for Black children at the location. We think this may be the Freedman’s Bureau school referenced in the EWP document on schools in Hamilton, VA that operated from 1868 to about 1870."
"We have also begun researching the names on the Black headstones that were moved and need to do quite a bit more work there. The church has no records of its cemetery and no log of gravesites, so we created our own excel log using Find a Grave and the headstones. We do have title research indicating the presence of the school and it appeared the GPR picked it up very close to the probable location speculated on those title records and on a map that the EWP had. We also have the original deed for that piece of land for the church – interestingly it is dated in 1861 and specifies that the land in that location should be used for a colored burying ground and school."
"About me, I have a master’s degree in history from the University of Florida. I trained in World War II/Holocaust studies but also had a good relationship with Dr. Bertram Wyatt-Brown, who was revered for his work on southern history and culture. I own an independent public relations practice, do some freelance writing, and have been in business for 18 years."
Using Ground Penetrating Radar to locate graves and school.
Physical and Map Location