Hume School

Built in 1891, the Queen Anne-style building was designed by B. Stanley Simmons, an area architect. The school was named for Frank Hume, a local civic and business leader, who donated adjacent land for a playground. It was an active public school for 67 years, closing in 1958. When the Hume School was built, Arlington was still a rural, agricultural-based community. Only about 4,000 people lived in the county, but it was already outgrowing its first school buildings. By 1900, the county had eleven public schools – six for white children and five for African Americans.

As the neighborhood grew, the local population exceeded the school’s capacity. Nellie Custis Elementary School was built a few blocks away in 1928 and held almost 300 students. In 1956, Arlington’s school board closed the Hume School. The Arlington Historical Society, also founded in 1956, led a successful community campaign to save the building for use as a local museum.