‘We want to make the community better’: Locals revive abandoned Sussex County school

SUSSEX COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- An empty, deteriorating school building on Mayes Street is being reborn, thanks to two lifelong Sussex County friends who hope to preserve its history and give the community a place to gather, learn and grow.

Jefferson Elementary School opened in 1965, during a time of desegregation, serving students from first through seventh grade. After nearly five decades, the school closed in 2013 due to declining enrollment, leaving the building abandoned and in disrepair.

Robert Hamlin, the Executive Director of the Community Coalition of Sussex, Virginia, recalls attending Jefferson Elementary School as a seventh grader when it first opened.

“The only thing on my mind as a kid was that I didn’t have to ride 20 miles to school anymore,” Hamlin said. “Now that I look back, I see the significance of education and what it’s done for me and others. This building shaped my life, and it’s important to me that it continues to shape others.”

Hamlin and his friend Pete Stith, who grew up in Sussex County, shared a vision of revitalizing the building to create a lasting positive impact. In 2019, the two purchased the school at auction for just $1,500.

“We had a plan,” Hamlin said.

“If we were fortunate enough to get the school, we would put it into action," Stith said. "We knew we didn’t have much money, but we believed that with the right mindset and the right people around the table, it could happen.”

Their goal was more than restoring a building — it was about healing old divisions in the community.

“We grew up during the era of Jim Crow,” Stith said. “There was little communication socially or politically between the races. When we bought the school, we saw an opportunity to bring everybody under the tent. Jefferson became a signature project for us to do that.”

As of September, the 25,000-square-foot former school is the Millard and Florence Stith Community Center, named after Stith’s parents.

Room No. 7, once a science classroom, is now a community church. Writings on the wall read “miracles, signs, wonders.”

But Hamlin and Stith’s vision extends beyond community gatherings. Half of the building is set to become an early childhood education center, addressing a local childcare shortage and creating jobs.

The pair are also working with an architectural firm to plan further improvements and ensure the space continues to meet the community’s evolving needs.

“We weren’t looking for credit,” Stith said. “We just wanted to do something to make the community a better place to live. If you have the right ideas, investors will come to the table, and that’s exactly what happened.”

What was once an abandoned school is now a place of hope, resources and connection — preserving Jefferson Elementary’s history while shaping its future.

Those looking to make donations to support the project can do so here.