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Lafayette School on a postcard

Lafayette School postcard

Date published: 1/13/2007

By Jennifer Strobel

When was the last time you saw a postcard of a public school?

Tourist sites, scenic views, novelty cards, maybe. But a school?

It wasn't so unusual when this postcard was mailed in 1910.

That was during the Golden Age of Postcards--yes, there was one-- when townspeople would share their civic pride for the price of a card and a 1-cent stamp, along with a concise message.

As Fannie wrote from Fredericksburg to her father, John Wright, in Doswell, about 45 miles away: "My dear Papa, I arrived here last night about 9:30. It was raining, but three were down to meet me with a carriage. I am well. Love to all. Write. Fannie."

The postcard shows Fredericksburg High School, which later became Lafayette Elementary School, then Wallace Library and headquarters of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, at 1200 Caroline St. in the city's Historic District.

Here's a little school history from The Free Lance-Star's files:

Lafayette wasn't the first school on the site. Students had previously attended classes at the Union House, originally a residence that eventually became too crowded for classes. The house was torn down when school construction was completed at a final cost of $40,000.

The construction project was accompanied by much fanfare, starting with the groundbreaking in 1908, when 550 flag-waving children dressed in white and decked with flowers stood on the grounds to watch city officials lay the cornerstone.

During a public open house, a "corps of lady instructors" welcomed 700 guests to the school, which "was looking its best. Beautiful bouquets of flowers adorned each teacher's desk and in many of the rooms were seen hanging pictures of historic interest."

The school held all of the city's 63 "white scholars" and a number of tuition students who paid $1.50 a month for elementary grades and $2 a month for high school classes. Black children were housed in a two-story, four-room building at the corner of Princess Anne and Wolfe streets.

It wasn't too long before crowding again became an issue at Lafayette School, and high school classes were moved to the Maury Hotel at the corner of Caroline and Hanover streets (which now houses J. Brian's Tap Room and Deborah's Place, a gift store).

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Date published: 1/13/2007