Northern Neck Now

Located near Montross in Westmoreland County, Armstead T. Johnson High School was built in 1937. The school was one of the first high schools built for African Americans on the Northern Neck. The A. T. Johnson School is a primary example of rural schools built in accordance with State Board of Education plans and the most intact early-20th-century school in Westmoreland County. It was built in the Colonial Revival style with a gabled central entrance pavilion flanked by two wings. The masonry building boasts handsome brickwork and detailing including brick quoins. The school was named after Armstead Tasker Johnson (1857-1944), a prominent community leader and teacher for over 30 years in Westmoreland County. After receiving Federal Works Progress Administration funding in November 1936, the county moved forward to replace a three-room high school with the present simple yet substantial A. T. Johnson High School.