Christiansburg Industrial
Institute

The First African American High School in Southwest Virginia

The Christiansburg Industrial Institute (1866-1966) was the first high school in Southwest, Virginia, to educate the formerly enslaved Post-Emancipation. The school served African American students from across the state of Virginia and beyond for 100 years. Booker T. Washington was supervisor to the school from 1896-1915, modeling the curriculum after Tuskegee and Hampton.

Christiansburg Institute, Inc. (CI, Inc.) and the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association (CIAA) work together to honor our ancestors preserve and restore the legacy and memory of the former school for generations to come, Christiansburg Institute.

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Christiansburg Institute, Inc.

Who We Are

Christiansburg Institute (CI, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) cultural heritage and historic preservation non-profit located in Christiansburg, Virginia. CI, Inc. is managed by a 15-member Board of Directors. We sustain a two-person paid staff, our Executive Director and Public Historian.

Our mission to preserve and promote the historic Christiansburg Industrial Institute through enacting its legacies of education, service, and excellence. CI, Inc. was created by the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association (CIAA) in 1996.

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What We Do

Community. Education. Preservation.

Our work at CI, Inc. is centered around grassroots community organizing, participatory education and inter-generational learning, and the historic preservation of the Edgar A. Long Building. We celebrate life, ancestors, tradition, art, music, food, and culture through programs, events, and Restorative Memorymaking.

We work diligently to

honor ancestors and cultural heritage,

intentionally center directly affected voices,

and build people power through grassroots community organizing and historic preservation.

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Historic Preservation
& Adaptive Reuse

Edgar A. Long Building

The historic Edgar A. Long Building represents the only 2% of African-American historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Help us save and restore this rare national treasure.

Christiansburg Institute Museum & Archives

Protecting CI's Material Culture

Preserving the expansive material culture and thousands of historic artifacts from Christiansburg Industrial Institute's impressive 100-year history

Education

& Community

Reclaiming Ancestral Knowledge

Sharing the remarkable story and 100 year history of Christiansburg Institute in Southwest Virginia through celebrating our cultural heritage, inter-generational learning, and Restorative Memorymaking

Christiansburg IndustrialInstitute