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Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest extant building dedicated to the education of Black children in the United States,

Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest extant building dedicated to the education of Black children in the United States, opens in Williamsburg, Virginia [1]

The Williamsburg Bray School was a school for free and enslaved Black children founded in 1760 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Opened at Benjamin Franklin's suggestion in 1760, the school educated potentially hundreds of students until its closure in 1774. The house it first occupied is believed to be the "oldest extant building in the United States dedicated to the education of Black children".

Constructed in 1760, the structure has also been known as the Dudley Digges House and Bray-Digges House. Bought by Methodist missionaries in the mid-1920s, the building was renovated and renamed Brown Hall. Its colonial origins not visible though known, the structure was not purchased by John D.

Historical Significance

The Williamsburg Bray School was a school for free and enslaved Black children founded in 1760 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Events Before

  1. Future 1st US President George Washington (26) weds widow Martha Dandridge Custis (27) at her home, the White House Plan

    Future 1st US President George Washington (26) weds widow Martha Dandridge Custis (27) at her home, the White House Plantation in Kent County, Virginia, until his death in 1799 [1]

  2. British Museum opens at Montagu House in London

    Montagu House (sometimes spelled "Montague") was a late 17th-century mansion in Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London, which became the first home of the British Museum.

  3. Political activist Thomas Paine (22) weds household servant Mary Lambert (21)

    Political activist Thomas Paine (22) weds household servant Mary Lambert (21)

  4. First music store in America opens in Philadelphia by future Treasurer of the United States, Michael Hillegas

    First music store in America opens in Philadelphia by future Treasurer of the United States, Michael Hillegas

  5. First American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphia

    First American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphia

Events After

  1. Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defe

    Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defeats the mostly Hindu Maratha Empire in northern India. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people are killed in the fighting, and about 40,000 Maratha prisoners are massacred afterward.

  2. Jurist William Blackstone (37) weds Sarah Clitherow

    Jurist William Blackstone (37) weds Sarah Clitherow

  3. Marriage of George III of the United Kingdom to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Queen Charlotte)

    Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761...

  4. The British capture Pondicherry, India, from the French

    Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the capital and most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India.

  5. 1st life insurance policy in North America issued in Philadelphia

    1st life insurance policy in North America issued in Philadelphia

More from the 1760s

Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat

Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defe

Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the 18th century, the mostly Muslim Afghan Durrani Empire defeats the mostly Hindu Maratha Empire in northern India. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people are killed in the fighting, and about 40,000 Maratha prisoners are massacred afterward.

Treaty of Paris ends the French-Indian War, France agrees to surrender Canada to Great Britain

The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, following Great Britain and…

Austria, Prussia and Saxony sign the Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Sev

Austria, Prussia and Saxony sign the Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Seven Years' War

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 29, 1760?
The Williamsburg Bray School was a school for free and enslaved Black children founded in 1760 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Opened at Benjamin Franklin's suggestion in 1760, the school educated potentially hundreds of students until its closure in 1774. The house it first occupied is believed to be the "oldest extant building in the United States dedicated to the education of Black children".
Why is Williamsburg Bray School, the oldest extant building dedicated to the educati... significant?
The Williamsburg Bray School was a school for free and enslaved Black children founded in 1760 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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September 29 in HistoryYear 1760