A story that highlights how children, families, and school staff worked to strengthen the Hickory Hill community in what was once the Gateway to the South. Founded in 1856 and largely recognized only by African American media, Hickory Hill School operated for over a century as Virginia’s first non‑city public school, a Tuskegee‑Rosenwald institution, and the county’s first brick school. Despite fires and its absorption during the 1970 annexation, its legacy of educational advocacy, civil and voting rights, environmental justice, and land stewardship continues to shape visions of liberation and prosperity.