Sumner School, opened in 1862 in a converted house and rebuilt in its present form in 1887, was the first free public school for Black children established south of the Mason-Dixon line. It served the city's African American population continuously until the integration of West Virginia schools in 1955, and produced an unusual number of distinguished graduates for a town of Parkersburg's size.
The building is now used as a community centre and the small interpretive display inside (visit during regular hours or by appointment) tells the story well. A National Historic Landmark and an essential complement to the more white-focused colonial-and-conspiracy history on offer at Blennerhassett.