Secret cellar unearthed beneath America's oldest Black schoolhouse reveals artifacts

Archaeologists at William & Mary University in Virginia unearthed a piece of American history tied to the oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children.

A secret cellar was found with many artifacts such as slate pencil fragments and jewelry, The Associated Press (AP) reported. 

The building belongs to the Williamsburg Bray School, which taught mostly enslaved students in the 1760s using a religious framework to justify slavery. 

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The Williamsburg Bray School was later transformed into a dormitory for some of the first women to attend college.

William & Mary archaeologists uncovered a foundation from the 1700s that once held the nation's oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children. (William Mary/William Mary Center for Archaeological Research via AP)

William & Mary’s Center for Archaeological Research, Tom Higgins, said the cellar "was probably dug soon after the foundations were laid" as it was not lined with bricks, reported AP.

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Handmade ceramics associated with sites of enslavement and a shard of glass depicting Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, war and the arts, were also found.

Handmade ceramics and jewelry were found from the 1760s Williamsburg Bray School. (William Mary/William Mary Center for Archaeological Research via AP)

Katherine Rowe, William & Mary’s president, said, "The roots of our city and university entwine here."

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"Every layer of history that it reveals gives us new insights into our early republic, from the Williamsburg Bray School through the generations that followed, up through the early 20th century," she added, according to AP.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is working to restore the school. (Michael A. McCoy/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The structure was discovered in 2020 by historians and is being restored by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.