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John Henry Smyth (14 July 1844-5 Sept. 1908) ND13 |
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Born in Richmond, Va., to a free black mother and slave father, John Henry Smyth graduated from Howard University Law School Washington, D.C., in 1872 and worked variously as a teacher, bank cashier, lawyer, and newspaper editor. He served as minister resident and consul general to Liberia, 1878-1885. His most enduring legacy, however, is the Hanover Juvenile Correctional Center, founded by him in 1897 as the Virginia Manual Labor School, among the first United States especially for African-American youths. Smyth required his charges to labor on the school’s farm to develop a strong work ethic. The center’s school is named for him.
Department of Historic Resources 1999
Couthouse Rd (Rt 2), between Courtland Farm Rd. and River Rd Hanover County Virginia.
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Virginia 