The Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe

Sharon Indian School

In the late 1800's, King William County grudgingly provided a one-room school building and teacher, but the school was closed when the 10-student minimum could not be met. The Upper Mattaponi children were either educated with the Pamunkey or went without schooling until the Sharon Indian School was built in 1917.

Eventually, the Tribe used donated lumber to add a lunchroom and kitchen to the school. The kitchen was staffed by the Tribe's adults.

The county replaced the original building with an eight-room brick structure in 1952. That building stands today as the only Indian school building in the state of Virginia. The school continued operations until it was closed by integration measures in the 1960's. The building remained off-limits until the state returned it to the Tribe in 1987 and it now serves as the Tribal Center.

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