OUR PROGRAM LAST WEEK:

Tom Dixon and Judy Humbert spoke to us about Black history in the Winchester area. Tom Dixon is a graduate of Douglas School and Handley High School, where he taught and coached for 36 years. Judy Hum-bert is a graduate of Douglas School and was named Woman of the Year in 2023 by the Winchester Branch of the American Association of University Wom- en. Tom and Judy shared a wealth of information about numerous important African Americans with connections to our area.

Winchester’s first public school for Black children opened in 1878 with the establishment of the Winchester Colored School in the old stone church on East Piccadilly Street. In 1924 the Black community petitioned the school board for a new building, resulting in the construction of Douglas School, which opened in 1927. Douglas School was a regional high school serving Black students from Frederick, Warren and Shenandoah counties in addition to those living in the City of Winchester. Douglas’s final graduating class was in 1966, after which Winchester schools became fully integrated.

Among the people we learned about were Josiah Walls, who was born in Winchester and in 1871 became one of the first African Americans elected to Congress. The Brown family is notable for six of their eight children becoming doctors of medicine or pharmacy. One of them, Dr. Sara Brown, became the first woman to serve on Howard University Board of Trustees. Dr. Taylor Finley, taught science and industrial arts at Douglas School and later attended Howard University, where he earned his DDS degree. He was Winchester’s only Black dentist. Dr. Finley also operated Finley’s recreation center, which was a gathering place for local Blacks and hosted entertainers including James Brown, Lloyd Price and Fats Domino. Spottswood Poles was a standout in the Negro Leagues, with a lifetime batting average of over .400. His baseball career was interrupted by his service in the army during World War 1, where he served as a sergeant, earning multiple battle stars and a Pur- ple Heart.

There were many other interesting and influential people covered in the presentation, and you can learn about them in the brochure, “Winchester, VA African American Heritage, Self-Guided Driving Tour,” which was available at the meeting and can also be found at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center.

For further reading on the subject, Tom Dixon recommended “History of Douglass School,” by Judy Humbert and June Davis, and “African American Tales,” by Mike Robinson.