Groundbreaking ceremony commemorates Brown Grove School-The Brown Grove School Memorial Committee held a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 26 for a new memorial across from Brown Grove Baptist Church in Ashland. The memorial honors the historic Brown Grove School, a two-room schoolhouse built in 1925 that educated African American children in grades 1–7 until it was destroyed by fire in 1942. The school served as a center of learning, pride, and resilience for the Brown Grove community. The Rev. Darius Beecham, Saundra Watkins, Brenda Brown, Stefany Whittaker, Benjamin Jackson, Roger Brown, Shelia Spencer and Renada Harris celebrate the start of construction at Brown Grove.(Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)
