Back to Story
Elizabeth Drembus, the genealogist at the Williamsburg Bray School Lab, speaks about her work on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Elizabeth Drembus, the genealogist at the Williamsburg Bray School Lab, speaks about her work on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Knob and tube electrical wiring at the Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Knob and tube electrical wiring at the Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

A dog's paw print (left of arrow) is seen in one of the chimney bricks at the Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

A dog's paw print (left of arrow) is seen in one of the chimney bricks at the Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Matthew Webster, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's executive director of architectural preservation and research, speaks about the Williamsburg Bray School's construction on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Matthew Webster, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's executive director of architectural preservation and research, speaks about the Williamsburg Bray School's construction on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Elizabeth Drembus discusses the known family trees of some of the students that attended the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Elizabeth Drembus discusses the known family trees of some of the students that attended the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

18th century nails shoved in between hand craved joints in the stairs leading up to the second floor of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

18th century nails shoved in between hand craved joints in the stairs leading up to the second floor of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, has traced her ancestors to the Williamsburg Bray School, on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, has traced her ancestors to the Williamsburg Bray School, on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Replicas of the books that students would have used at the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Replicas of the books that students would have used at the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Residue from the original plaster walls of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Residue from the original plaster walls of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Matthew Webster shows an original rail from the classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Matthew Webster shows an original rail from the classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney speaks about the curriculum of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney speaks about the curriculum of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney, is the Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate curator of Maps and Prints for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney, is the Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate curator of Maps and Prints for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

The classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

The classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney, is the Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate curator of Maps and Prints for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Katie McKinney, is the Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate curator of Maps and Prints for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, in the classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, in the classroom of the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, stands outside near the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Janice Canaday, Colonial Williamsburg Foundations African American community engagement manager, stands outside near the Williamsburg Bray School on Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)