ACCOMAC, Va. - On Courthouse Road in Accomac stands the former Accomac High School, built in 1932.
In recent years, the Accomack County School Board has used the 91-year old building for storage. The property has also been the favored location for new offices for the School Board.
"There's some history there," said neighbor Jacqueline Walters. "There's something there, it's got its own little stories behind it."
That's a sentiment shared by many Accomac neighbors.
There were two proposals for the new Accomack County School Board offices - to tear down the current building and build a new office building, or renovate the current building. Both proposals were projected to cost about $6 million.
However, Accomac neighbors didn't want to see their school building go, and they launched a "Save Our School" campaign in 2022. For the past year, red signs bearing the legend "Save Our School" have dotted the 17th Century town.
The campaign has paid off. After a Tuesday vote, the School Board decided to renovate the building rather than demolish it.
Neighbors say Accomac is a town rich in history, and preserving the iconic school building compliments the town's charm.
"You get to the courthouse, and the court records - one of the oldest continuous records in the country, and that's important to me, so it's important to preserve it," said neighbor Rick Wallace.
Neighbor Celia Bland pointed to another school renovation success story, the Historic Onancock School.
She hopes some of the auditorium spaces in a renovated school building can be set aside as a public space and duplicate Onancock's success.
"It's so nice there, and people really love gathering there for various opportunities to celebrate," Bland said. "I hope that this will provide Accomac with a place as well."
There is no timeline set for work on renovations yet.
The next step is to issue a Request for Proposals from contractors to do the work.
The School Board plans to provide an update at their July 18 meeting.
