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Christiansburg Industrial Institute

 Organization

Historical Note

The Christiansburg Industrial Institute (CII) was founded in 1866 in Cambria (now Christiansburg), Virginia, by Civil War Union Captain Charles S. Shaeffer as a private primary school for black children. Through the support of the Friends Freedmen's Association in Philadelphia (a Quaker organization), Shaeffer received financial backing for the school. In 1896 Booker T. Washington molded the program to one that would emphasize technical training for blacks. A 185-acre farm was purchased as the school's campus in 1905. In 1934 the Montgomery County School Board began its management of the school. CII was converted in 1947 to a regional high school for blacks, and closed in 1966 when the local schools were integrated.

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Christiansburg [Virginia] Industrial Institute Historical Documents

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1991-033
Scope and Content The Christiansburg [Virginia] Industrial Institute Historical Documents consist of photocopied historical documents about the school, its history, and the alumni association. Many of the materials are from the Edgar A. Long papers (Long served as principal of the school from 1905 to 1924), and include Long's handwritten drafts of lectures, writings, speeches, sermons, and lessons. Also included are copies of the 1902-03 and 1925-26 catalogs and the 1908 annual report. "Poems for Children and...
Dates: 1866 - 1991

Christiansburg Industrial Institute Oral History Project

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2019-037
Scope and Content The Christiansburg Industrial Institute Oral History Project consists of oral history interviews, transcripts, field notes, and other assorted documents produced by the students of Professor David Cline in the the Fall of 2012 in association with interviews conducted with former students of the Christiansburg Industrial Institute about their childhoods, the African-American community in Southwest Virginia, the student experience at Christiansburg Industrial Institute, the quality of the...
Dates: 2012

John Nicolay Papers, 1792-1985 (Ms1987-027)

 Digital Record
Identifier: Ms1987-027