Through the generosity of AMETEK Board Member Steven W. Kohlhagen and his wife Gale, the College of William & Mary established the Bray School Lab to construct and disseminate the history of the school’s 400 free and enslaved students.

“The story of the Williamsburg Bray School is one that needs to be told. It expands our understanding of 18th-century America and adds to our body of knowledge about this important time in our nation’s history. These new stories will be passed along through our public history programming and offer visitors a richer and deeper connection to our shared past, when we need it more than ever,” said Kohlhagen.

The AMETEK Foundation recently contributed to the Bray School Lab’s operations, enabling archival and genealogical research, community engagement efforts, and public programming. The Foundation’s funding will also support efforts to identify Bray School alumni and descendants to honor their contemporary legacy and share their lost stories, crafting a new narrative about the country’s foundational years and sharing discoveries with the nation.

“When most people think of African Americans in 18th-century America, they usually think of slavery. The history of the Bray School and the stories of the children who were students there is a window into their lives beyond slavery,” said Janice Canaday, historian and member of the Williamsburg Bray School descendant community, in a press release from Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William & Mary. “It’s a window into their hearts and minds. It’s an opportunity to connect to their strength of resistance, resilience, endurance and their humanity.”

In 2021, research confirmed that the schoolhouse was in one of William & Mary’s campus buildings. Last week, the structure was relocated to Colonial Williamsburg during a moving ceremony, where the building will be restored to its original state and incorporated into historical tours.