HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Two historical markers have been unveiled to honor the foundations of Varina’s African-American community, which began to take root a decade after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Dozens of people gathered Saturday for the unveiling of a county historical marker on St. James Road in eastern Henrico County.
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One of the signs describes the history of St. James School, which taught grades 1 through 7 to African-American students from 1910 until the mid-1950s.
The building was built on 37 acres of land purchased in 1873 by John and Polly Jeter, who left one acre for the school.
![St. James Community Cemetery and Old St. James Elementary School, Varina, Henrico County](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dd92878/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F24%2Ffc%2Fbbd6c627436ea921c26c60b2182e%2Fposter-image-25.jpg)
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Among the students are some of Jeter’s descendants, including his great-granddaughter, Gracie Jeter White, 91, the last of her generation.
“It’s the school I went to 85 years ago when I was 6 years old,” she said. “We were just there, learning, loving each other and doing what we could for each other.”
![Gracie Jeter White](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/82dc031/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7d%2F32%2F90f7d45e4d75bded916aedc0c5af%2Fposter-image-3.jpg)
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White, one of the speakers at the event, entertained the audience with a variety of anecdotes.
“It had a pump and you had to prime it to get the water going. It was the coldest water I’ve ever had in my life,” White recalled.
She also reunited with an old friend.
“Oh, was it Lucille who played the piano?” White asked. “Oh, I remember that. She was playing music. Lucille, are you still here? God bless you.”
![St. James Community Cemetery and Old St. James Elementary School, Varina, Henrico County](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ac0d9b6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe1%2F98%2F229ad061492bb26ff171264fdf0b%2Fposter-image-23.jpg)
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Another marker tells the history of St. James Cemetery across the street: The land was purchased in 1876 by four men from the Star of Benevolence Society.
“The fact that they were able to do it is truly an accomplishment and a testament to what they wanted for the community,” said Felicia Cosby, a Jeter descendant and association member.
Cosby said the association and volunteers have been caring for the cemetery since it was founded.
“We have approximately 406 individuals buried here,” Cosby said, “and we recognize 255 of them as eligible for the African-American Retention Fund.”
![St. James Community Cemetery and Old St. James Elementary School, Varina, Henrico County](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1e063a5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2F71%2Fb440a54a4b2aa90d3275df6b3403%2Fposter-image-27.jpg)
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Cosby said the group’s work has shifted from maintenance to documenting and restoring who’s buried there, and they’ve uncovered parts of the wooded property that they believe may contain previously undiscovered graves, including those of former Jeter family members.
“What I’m looking for, I haven’t seen it yet,” Cosby said. “I know John Jeter’s son is buried here, there, but I haven’t seen the headstone.”
Cosby said it was a monumental event for the two locations to be recognized.
“Especially when we talk about African-American history, there’s so much that goes unsaid,” she said.
![St. James Community Cemetery and Old St. James Elementary School, Varina, Henrico County](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/291076b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F09%2F20%2F1f100af44e949cc0514659bf7f0c%2Fposter-image-28.jpg)
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White added that he hopes that people who learn their stories will return to their communities and discover who helped build them.
“We sometimes ignore things or forget things,” White said, “and we have to look back and think about all the good things that happened before we got here.”
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