State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Big Stone Gap’s James A. Bland High School

Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
July 2026

Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for Big Stone Gap’s James A. Bland High School

—The segregated Black school was built during a time when localities across the Commonwealth sought to establish ‘separate but equal’ facilities to avoid integration—

—Text of marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in the Town of Big Stone Gap next weekend focused on James A. Bland High School, a segregated school for Black students from Wise and Lee Counties that was established in Virginia after federal courts began requiring equalization.

The marker dedication will be held Saturday, August 8, starting at 1:00 p.m., at the site of the school, now the Big Stone Gap Town Hall, located at 505 E 5th Street South in Big Stone Gap (24219). Guests may park along the side of the road. This event is free and open to members of the public.

Among the individuals scheduled to speak at the dedication ceremony are Stephen Lawson, the town manager of Big Stone Gap; Jinny Turman, Ph.D., associate professor in the History Department at UVA Wise College; Gail Shorter-Judson, Ph.D., daughter of the late Cato H. and Mary B. Shorter; and Je' Judson, Ph.D., granddaughter of the late Cato H. and Mary B. Shorter. Michael Pulice, DHR’s architectural historian for Virginia’s western region, will attend the dedication on the department’s behalf. A reception inside the town hall, in what used to be the James A. Bland High School gymnasium, will take place after the marker unveiling.

Named for the acclaimed Black composer, James A. Bland High School opened in the Town of Big Stone Gap in 1954 to serve Black students from Wise and Lee Counties. The school was built at a time when localities across Virginia sought to improve African American schools after federal court decisions mandated equalization. The school became a source of community cohesion and pride. Cato Hadras Shorter—steadfastly supported by his wife, Mary B. McClellan—served as the school’s sole principal. A dedicated faculty worked to ensure students received a well-rounded education and fostered excellence in academics, arts, and athletics. Bland High School closed in 1965, when Wise County desegregated its schools following the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The building was used as an elementary school beginning in 1969 and as Big Stone Gap’s town hall beginning in 1988.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the James A. Bland High School historical marker in December 2025. The family of the late Cato H. & Mary B. Shorter and Alumni and friends of the Appalachia Training Central Bland Alumni Association (ATCB Alumni Association, Inc.) covered the marker’s manufacturing cost.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

Full Text of Marker:

James A. Bland High School

James A. Bland High School, named for the noted African American composer, opened here in 1954 and served Black students from Wise and Lee Counties. It was built as localities across VA improved Black schools following federal court decisions requiring equalization. The school became a source of community cohesion and pride. Cato Hadras Shorter, steadfastly supported by his wife, Mary B. McClellan, was the sole principal. A dedicated faculty fostered excellence in academics, arts, and athletics. Bland High School closed in 1965 when Wise Co. desegregated its schools after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The building became an elementary school in 1969 and Big Stone Gap’s town hall in 1988.

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