Fleetwood Community Center

1840

Fleetwood's history pre-dates the Civil War, when Fleetwood Academy, located on route 655, was established in 1840. The academy was a preparatory school for students attending the University of Virginia and Mr. William Pinkerton was the principal.

A Brief History of Fleetwood Community Center

1908

Fleetwood High School was erected on part of Blue Rock Farm, near Roseland. J. A. Hughes, the owner of the property, donated the site and others donated $ 1,250 for the actual structure. This was the first high school to be built in Nelson County and the first to be accredited by the State Board of Education.

1924

Wrights Mill and Massies Mill School were added to Fleetwood.

1930s

Students from Rose Union and Lowesville High Schools were added, rendering the building inadequate.

1934

With money from the State Literacy Fund and the Federal Emergency Administrative of Public Works, Nelson County bought five acres of land above Cow Hollow, two miles west of route 151 on route 56 in Massies Mill, and built the present two-and-a-half-story brick school. The building housed 14 classrooms, library, music room, office, kitchen and auditorium. Former principals include Mr. Walter Hoffman, Sr., French Boone, Norman Flythe, Walter Edwards, Wayne Mahanes, George Brown, Edward Rothgeb and Malcolm Drumheller. The school served students in grades one through eleven.

1955

The current Nelson County High School was completed. Fleetwood became an elementary school and served grades one through seven.

1969

Nelson County schools were fully integrated. Students from grades one through three at the Fleetwood School and Massies Mill School were combined at the Massies Mill site. Grades four through six were combined at the Fleetwood site. Students in grades seven and eight around the county were moved to the new Nelson Junior High School, formerly the Nelson Memorial High School.

1995

With the opening of Tye River Elementary School, Fleetwood and Massies Mill were no longer used as schools. Fleetwood became a community center owned and operated by the community center board.

Currently

The center hosts spring and fall horseback trail rides as major fundraisers and local religious groups have used the facility for worship functions. The fields at Fleetwood have also been host to many Dixie Youth baseball games as well as soccer games and softball practices. It has also hosted bluegrass music concerts, art activities, exercise activities, and family and class reunions.

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​For more information on how you can help restore and maintain this historic building, and make it more useful to the surrounding area, please contact Barbara Myers at 434-277-8235.