Tuskegee Institute Commerce Class 1929
Empowering ordinary people to preserve family and community history
The purpose of the Union High History Project was to research, document, and preserve the history of Union High School in Caroline County, Virginia. Union High alums, faculty, family, and friends (Union High History Project Participants) shared their memories, school memorabilia, and ephemera. The project’s output is a book titled Memories of Union High: An Oasis in Caroline County, Virginia, 1903-1969.
Union High Faculty

Memories of Union High is available in several public and college libraries, including all branches of the Caroline County, Virginia, library system and the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Visit worldcat.org for a complete list of libraries where the book is available.
Order now!
Memories of Union High
An Oasis in Caroline County, Virginia 1903-1969
By Marion Woodfork Simmons
Memories of Union High: An Oasis in Caroline County, Virginia 1903-1969, is the result of the Union High History Project. The book contains:
- Historical information
- Memories from alums, faculty, family, and friends
- Excerpts from school newspapers and yearbooks
- Over 100 photographs and other memorabilia
Memories of Union High is a fitting tribute to the people associated with Union High and a good history lesson for those unfamiliar with the school.


AP Hill monument dedicated to 46 African-American slaves who lived, labored and died on the Royston plantation, now part of AP Hill.
The Caroline County, Virginia project provides access to valuable information for performing family history research in the county, including: The Freedmen’s Bureau, A.P. Hill Military Reservation, USO Highway Number 2 Club, Mount Lawn Cemetery, Caroline Community Cannery, Shiloh Baptist Church, and Zion Grove Baptist Church. It also includes other general and local resources.
Joyce Garrett, a retired District of Columbia Public School music teacher and choir director, is collaborating with Woodfork Genealogy LLC to write her memoir.
Eastern High School 2018 Mass Reunion Choir (Courtesy of Carlose Sellars Photography)
DC Fire Department Engine Company No 13 – February 1954
Current Research
District of Columbia Fire Department
I am currently researching the experiences of firemen (both black and white) in the District of Columbia Fire Department during the 1950s and 1960s when the department was undergoing integration. Please contact me if you have information you would like to share.