Kerr’s Run Colored School – Pomeroy, Ohio - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Kerr’s Run Colored School

Pomeroy, Ohio

This schoolhouse for Black American children is one of the oldest remaining in southeastern Ohio. 

View all photos
The back of the school and playground. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
The back of the school and playground. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
The entrance to school, covered in vines. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Coal was loaded through this hatch for the furnace. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
The furnace room is still dry. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Some of the original windows are still intact. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
The main entrance to the Kerr’s Run School. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
An old church stands beside the school. The rest of the neighborhood has been demolished. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
A memorial plaque was installed near the school this year. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Taken by Gremm Bando (May 2024) TheBandoCouple (Atlas Obscura User)
The main classroom looking toward the entrance. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
This old piano still works! rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
A bookcase still sits in a corner of the main classroom. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
This school had indoor plumbing, which was an innovation in the early 1900s. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
The heating system ductwork was made out of brick! rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Looking into the main classroom from the entrance. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
A Singer sewing machine sits in the attic. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Another classroom. This school had two larger rooms and two smaller ones for students. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
A January, 1921 newspaper article from the Democrat about improvements in Pomeroy schools, including Kerr’s Run school. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)
Taken by Gremm Bando (May 2024) TheBandoCouple (Atlas Obscura User)
118
570
Top Places in Ohio
The Percy Skuy Collection on the History of Contraception
East Cleveland, Ohio
Balto the Sled Dog
Cleveland, Ohio
The Topiary Park
Columbus, Ohio
 See All
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding Kerr’s Run Colored School with additional information or photos.

Known only to the locals, this forgotten schoolhouse still stands in the oldest part of Pomeroy, Ohio. It is now boarded up and overgrown with brush. In its earlier days, it provided Black American children with a quality education, producing such notable figures as James Edwin Campbell, poet and first president of West Virginia State University, and James McHenry Jones, renowned educator and third president of West Virginia State University. It operated from the late 1880s to the early 1900s.

In 2007, to commemorate the bicentennial of Meigs County, a historical marker was added to the Kerr’s Run Colored School site. The sign briefly documents the history and legacy of the school.

Know Before You Go

This venue can be reached by Ohio State Route 33 East from Athens, Ohio. Approximately 20 miles from Athens is an interchange and Route 833 begins here. Drive straight through the interchange and follow Route 833 to the Ohio River. At the stoplight is an intersection with State Route 124. Turn left and travel 200 feet and make a hard left onto a dead end lane. It is not marked with a street sign. The Kerr’s Run School is right beside the old church. The property is not posted and visitors come and go as they please. Do not attempt to enter the building as it is in an unsafe condition.

african-american schools black history abandoned
Community Contributors
rbt45769
Added by
rbt45769
TheBandoCouple
z
b
Edited by
TheBandoCouple, zeidaah, branss8
Published
April 19, 2019
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
St. John’s Church Cemetery
1.14 miles
Philip Sporn Mine
4.46 miles
TNT Area
8.00 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
A plot marker near the entrance.
Pomeroy, Ohio

St. John’s Church Cemetery

A lost cemetery stands forgotten on a hilltop, known only to the older residents of Pomeroy.
The Sporn plant in October, 2014, a few months before it closed.
New Haven, West Virginia

Philip Sporn Mine

This abandoned mine and power plant was built atop land once given to Revolutionary War soldiers.
TNT igloo hidden by overgrowth.
Point Pleasant, West Virginia

TNT Area

These rows of World War II-era bunkers were the scene of some of the infamous Mothman sightings.
Frozen flock.
Point Pleasant, West Virginia

West Virginia State Farm Museum

The farming museum contains an extensive taxidermy collection, including the world's largest stuffed horse.
Related Places
Wheatley - Provident Hospital the 1909 building on April 5th 2020
Kansas City, Missouri

Wheatley-Provident Hospital

The crumbling remains of the first Black-owned and operated hospital in Kansas City.
Allensworth
Earlimart, California

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

A ghost town originally established and governed solely by Black Americans seeking a place of their own, free from discrimination.
Velha Goa, India

Gate of St. Paul's College

All that remains of a 16th-century Jesuit school is this carved, worn gate.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Site of Charlie’s Place

Once a safe haven for Black patrons and performers—including Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington—during the Jim Crow era, portions of this nightclub and motel have been restored to welcome a new kind of visitor.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web