Whitewood High School, which later became a combined high school and elementary school serving grades 1-12, is a two story brick building erected in 1940, with several brick additions of compatible design, dating to 1957. It includes a secondary, contributing building containing three additional classrooms. The architectural character of the larger facility is defined by the original 1940 section, in which Classical and Gothic-inspired elements are deftly combined with modern design elements and the use of modern materials such as pre-cast concrete. The school is the most prominent and significant architectural landmark in the Whitewood area of Buchanan County.

Whitewood resident Belinda Honaker has been the driving force in seeking this designation, and she continues to be the leading advocate for preservation and re-use of the long-neglected school building. She also provided sources of the historical information contained herein, and helped with the nomination process.


Whitewood High School is located at the confluence of Dismal Creek and Linn Camp Branch in eastern Buchanan County, about seven miles west of the Tazewell County line. By road, the school is located near the intersection of Route 638, which follows Dismal Creek, and Route 635, which follows Linn Camp Branch. The school is surrounded by coal mines in close proximity. Both surface “strip” mines and subsurface “shaft” mines are shown within one-half mile of the school on USGS quad maps. The closest mine shaft appears on a hillside no more than three-tenths of a mile north of the school. Coal tipples are shown less than four-tenths of a mile south of the school on Route 638.Whitewood High School, in the far southwestern Virginia county of Buchanan, was designed by the firm of Smithey and Boynton in 1939-40, constructed in 1940, and opened its doors the following year. It was an up-to-date high school with many modern amenities. In 1975, the school was divided into an elementary school, K-7th grades, and a high school, grades 8-12. Although now vacant, like the other county schools from the period, it stands today as perhaps the best preserved survival among its counterparts, an important vestige of the educational, social history of the Whitewood Community and the architectural history of the region. It was among the first high schools built in the county, where grades 1-7 had previously represented the sum total of education opportunities for young people. Because of the high quality of instruction they received at the school, many former students went on to become extraordinarily successful in a number of fields. It also fulfilled an important role in the civic life of the community for generations of students, and for their families whose social lives centered there. Accounts of student and community life at Whitewood School present solid testimony for its educational and social importance. As the only public building dedicated to community use in the Whitewood area, the school grounds have been used for a wide range of social functions, community activities, and athletic events.

Currently and historically a center of activity by coal mining operations, Buchanan County is today Virginia’s largest producer of coal. It is characterized by its remote, mountainous topography and sparse human population. In recent decades the economy has suffered due to the boom and bust nature of the coal and timber industries, but it flourished during the second quarter of the 20th century, a period in which a number of significant public schools were erected. The coal mining and logging industries in Buchanan County prospered between 1930 and 1940. During this period the county population almost doubled, from 16,740 to 31,477. Opened in 1941, Whitewood High School provided education for rural students and significant numbers of its graduates went on to pursue higher education, accomplish distinguished careers. Some returned as professional and community leaders in the rural communities of central Appalachia. Whitewood was among the first schools in Buchanan County that featured specialized classroom space utilized for a library and a science laboratory. When it opened, it had nine classrooms, a small home economics room and a small principal’s office. The school was also built to serve as a public school with rooms providing assembly spaces that served as community centers for rural life. The Buchanan County School Board purchased the property for the school from C. L. Ritter Lumber Co. for $1900 in1939. Ritter had owned the parcel since 1900. The cost of building the school was $68,500. Enrollment numbers were very low the first year. Students came from other schools in the region, including Jewell Valley, Florence Cole, Laurel Creek, Horn Mountain, Spruce Pine, Hale Creek, and “the Log Cabin School.” Three seniors who had come from another high school graduated the first year. The extant ancillary building off of the northwest corner of the school was built in 1947 at a cost of $7,789. Around 1957, a large two-story wing was added to the south end of the school, and a cafeteria extension at the rear of the existing building, for a cost of nearly $400,000. One of the original classrooms was adapted into a library. Kindergarten and special education programs were instituted in some of the new spaces. In 1967, seven mobile buildings were added to the school campus to increase the overall size of the facility. Most housed makeshift classrooms. These mobile facilities have long since been removed to an unknown location. By 1970, the student body reached 780 pupils, instructed by 38 faculty members and 6 teacher aides. There was an assistant principal, a secretary, 5 cooks, and 5 janitors. The curriculum encompassed vocational training and a college preparatory program, as well as technical training. The school was divided into an elementary school, K-7th grades, and a high school, grades 8-12, in 1975. A new principal was hired to oversee the elementary school only. The first principal was J. E. Keen, followed by Bobby G. Ashby. Between 1940 and 1991, the high school had 4 principals: George Pollard, William Munsey, George R. Bird, and R. David Rowlett, who served from 1969-1991. The peak enrollment reached 350 high school students and 625 elementary school students. The Jewell Ridge Coal Company provided rooms and facilities for the teachers at a reasonable price and was noted for its excellent food and homelikeatmosphere.6Among the community activities held at the school were plays performed by the senior class every year since 1948.The plays were usually comedies, which helped the populations, mostly employed by the coal mines, during trying times. During WWII, scrap iron drives were done by the students, who collected the materials and brought them back to the school. The school also served as the local fallout shelter during the Cold War. The school was used for numerous clubs and community organizations, political meetings and community gatherings. The school newspaper, “The Smoke Signal,” was popular in the community. In it was school news, community news including reports on the health of the ill and aged, poems, and words of encouragement. Many of the newspapers have been preserved by a former graduate and later a teacher, Mr. Lonnie White. When members of the military returned home to the area, they often came to the school to speak to the students. Students also received their vaccinations in the school office. In 1977, a terrible flood swallowed the community of Whitewood and many low-lying areas of the county. Because of the region’s mountainous terrain, all of the public schools and indeed, most of the buildings in Buchanan County were affected by the flood. A newspaper clipping from the time quoted the county superintendent of schools, James Moon, stating that Whitewood Elementary was among four schools with the most extensive damage. Students throughout the area missed many days of school. The architects of Whitewood High School, Smithey & Boynton of Roanoke, VA were highly accomplished at the time the school was designed.