By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock New* Staff Writer

The affection and respect members of Rappahannock’s black community had for their teachers when the schools were segregated was apparent Friday night at the library program “The Way We Were: Black School History in Rappahannock County 1871-1967”

Most of the buildings are gone, but the memories remain of teachers who were dedicated to the success of their students.

Memories of tiny one and tworoom schools with as many as 50 or 60 students ages 5 to 17 in seven grades, schools that were the center of community activities.

Nanette Butler said she only went to the school at Scrabble for four years before the schools were integrated. “Always, always, always, we started with devotions” she said. And Friday night’s program also started with devotions, a hymn sung by Miss Butler with the audience joining in the chorus, followed by a scripture reading by her. mother.

In 1871, when Virginia first required public schools, Superintendent William Ruffner, the county’s first superintendent started the year with 14 schools for whites and seven for blacks.

There never was a public high school for blacks in the county, and older members of the panel told of going to private boarding schools in Christiansburg and Manassas. Of course, under those circumstances, many never went beyond seventh grade, the end of elementary school.

The senior member of the panel, James Butler told of going to school at Hawlin, then Scrabble. His seventh-grade teacher told him about a high school in Christiansburg he could attend run by the Quakers. After completing high school he enrolled at Virginia State. Trying to work his way through, he said he was able to finish only one year at Virginia State before the money ran out and he was drafted into the Army. “It’s been a great life,” he said, “far better than I expected it to be....We all ought to be concerned to see that every kid reaches his potential.”

The school at Scrabble, like sev