Key Road School

Key Road School, which had opened by 1921 and served African American children in grades 1-7, moved into a new building here ca. 1926-27. Financial contributions for the two-teacher school came from the Black community, Norfolk County, and the Rosenwald Fund. This fund, which emerged from a partnership between philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and educator Booker T. Washington, helped construct about 5,000 schools for African Americans across the South. The City of Portsmouth annexed this area in 1948, and the school closed in 1965. In 1972 the Olympian Sports Club moved its headquarters here. This organization, established in 1955, has supported young athletes in the region.