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George E. Smith and the rest of the Central High Museum board were clear on their request. They want some long-term security for the facility. The proposal that came before Charlotte County supervisors during their Thursday, Nov. 14 meeting was simply a five-year lease, with the chance to be approved for another five. 

“Who’s to say the next board 10 years from now will give us the opportunity to go back into that building?” Smith pointed out. “We’re worried that after that time limit is over, we could be moved out of the building like the museum was moved out of the main building of Central High School.” 

That happened in 2016, when the museum had to relocate to its current home, in what used to be the school’s bus shop and agriculture building, located at 515 Thomas Jefferson Highway. Already required to move the museum once, its board members are hesitant about signing any lease that doesn’t provide security and stability. 

Smith, himself a retired teacher and 1968 graduate of Central High, thanked the county staff for their work on the proposed lease, but asked for more time, to work with staff on a revised version. 

“We still are at an impasse and need some more time to get it right,” Smith said. “You see, it’s a museum. It’s not going to be moving anytime soon. And right now we’ve got a few clauses in the agreement that we think we’ve got to address so we have a permanent home there.” 

Wanting two things for Central High Museum 

Smith himself built three of the exhibits up at the museum, a Wall of Slavery, Wall of Struggle, and Wall of Hope. Each wall tells a story of African-American life in the county: the Wall of Slavery, the brutality of the Middle Passage and enslavement; the Wall of Struggle, the hardships of life after emancipation and the struggle for education, and the Wall of the Hope tells of triumph and success. The board wants the security of a long-term lease, much like the Museum of Charlotte County has, so when people come into the county to see the exhibits and go through the preserved documents, the address on the brochure, tv ad or other marketing material remains the same. 

“I know they have lots of visitors from out of state and from other places in Virginia,” said Kathy Liston. The Charlotte County resident spoke during Thursday’s public hearing, adding that the museum is on the Black Heritage Trail and that it’s a key part of the museum destination being built in the county. 

Liston argued that since the Museum of Charlotte County has a 30-year lease at $1 a year, with an automatic 30-year renewal, the Central High Museum should get similar treatment. She also pointed out that the Museum of Charlotte County has electricity paid for by the county and the county handles the mowing. 

Two main points brought up

Board members for the Central High Museum said they were mainly looking for a lease similar to the Museum of Charlotte County, while also asking the county to take care of the liability insurance on the building, since it is owned by Charlotte County. 

“I think we all want to accommodate them as much as we can,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Walker said. 

By a unanimous vote, supervisors gave Charlotte County Administrator Daniel Witt the authority to work out the details put forward by museum officials, incorporate them in a lease and sign in on the county’s behalf. That way, Walker said, it could get done and they wouldn’t have to wait for another month, until the next supervisors’ meeting. 

About the Central High Museum 

Created in 1997, the Central High Museum was housed in the once segregated original school building. The land for the school was originally donated to the Black community by a Black citizen of Charlotte County, so that Black children in the area would have a place to go to school. Now in its current location, the museum houses more than 2,500 artifacts on display, detailing more than just what happened inside the school. Some of the material highlights the accomplishments of Central High alumni, from doctors to lawyers, teachers and civic leaders in Charlotte County and beyond. In 2020, the school was designated as part of the Civil Rights Education Heritage Trail,