The Virginia Industrial Home School for Wayward Colored Girls
*The Virginia Industrial Home School for Wayward Colored Girls is celebrated on this date in 1915. Founded by Janie Porter Barrett, she was the school’s creator and visionary.
The Industrial Home School for Wayward Colored Girls was established in Hanover County, VA, as a rehabilitation center for black girls in trouble with the law near Richmond, VA. The Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Clubs purchased 147 acres in Peak's Turnout in Hanover County, VA, which was later donated to establish the Industrial Home School for Wayward Colored Girls.
In 1920, the Commonwealth of Virginia took over financial responsibility for the school, which was renamed the Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls. The school was co-managed by the state and the Federation until 1942 when it was taken over completely by the Virginia Department of Welfare and Institutions. Janie Porter Barrett served as superintendent of the school from 1915 to 1940. In 1950, the Virginia General Assembly renamed the Janie Porter Barret School for Girls in her honor.
The school became racially integrated in 1965 and coeducational in 1972. In 1977, it became all-male and was renamed the Barrett Learning Center for Boys. The school later became the Barrett Juvenile Correctional Center and was closed in 2005.
