Peabody High, Petersburg (1967)

Thelma M. Jefferson is a graduate of Peabody High, the first public high school established for Negroes in the Commonwealth of Virginia, class of 1967. To the children of the community, the old buildings on the campus of the original Peabody High School, which later became a Junior High and Middle School are just aging structures with boarded windows. However, their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents view those buildings with pride.

It’s that pride that will help keep the history and legacy of Peabody High School alive, thanks to the efforts of Thelma Jefferson, the Peabody High School National Alumni Association, Inc. and the Peabody Academic Learning and Development Center (PALDC), which Jefferson works on as Co-Chair. The organizations are looking to restore the original Peabody High School building on Jones Street, the closed Peabody Middle School on Wesley Street, and the Giles B. Cooke School building on the campus behind Peabody Middle School in order to create a Learning and Development Center and African American and Peabody High School history museum.

According to Jefferson, “Our main objective is that we keep the legacy of Peabody High School alive.” It is also with much pride that Jefferson worked tirelessly to have an historical highway marker dedicated and unveiled at the birthplace of Peabody High School in Petersburg. Peabody Middle School has received a $28,000 donation and many academic enrichment items through the works of Jefferson and the Alumni Association.

It is with much hope that the Peabody buildings will be brought back to life and remain a legacy in the City and the State.
Thelma Jefferson, President Peabody National Alumni Association
Petersburg Progress-Index News May 27, 2012