josephine school community museum

What josephine school community museum does

Josephine School Community Museum is a private non-profit cultural center operating in Berryville, Virginia. It is housed in the original 1882 Josephine City School, a structure built by former slaves and free colored people that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and converted to museum use, opening its inaugural exhibit on July 12, 2003. The institution preserves and shares the people, objects, and stories of Clarke County's African-American history and heritage, functioning as the designated Clarke County African-American Cultural Center.

The museum operates a portfolio of community-driven programs including a living museum visitor experience (open Sundays 1-3pm and by appointment), the JSMC Book Club (running annually since 2012 with monthly historical fiction/nonfiction discussions), and the Helen O. Carr Dramatic Reading Competition for grades 2-5 students in partnership with Clarke County Public Schools. Additional recurring programming includes the monthly Middle Potomac History Research Group. The organization also administers a college scholarship fund for Clarke County High School graduates of color.

Revenue is generated exclusively through donations and small annual membership tiers (Individual $25, Family $50, Non-Profit $75, Corporate $100), general and designated donations, and commemorative brick paver sales starting at $500 for Walk of Fame recognition. Museum admission is free. The organization is governed by a nine-member volunteer board of directors with no disclosed paid staff, no technology infrastructure, and no digital product surface beyond a basic informational website.

Name

josephine school community museum

Legal name

Josephine School Community Museum

Website

https://jschoolmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Josephine School Community Museum is a non-profit cultural center in Berryville, Virginia, housed in the original 1882 African-American schoolhouse, preserving and sharing Clarke County's African-American history through museum visits, educational programs, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYTHAJADAB

History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• Community museum services
• African-American heritage preservation
• Cultural education programs
• Historical site preservation
• Nonprofit cultural center

Headquarters

HQ city

Berryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership donations at four tiers: Individual ($25), Family ($50), Non-Profit ($75), Corporate ($100). Members receive recognition and support museum operations.
2. General Donations: One-time or recurring donations to the General Fund supporting museum operations, research, and exhibits. Available for online donation.
3. Scholarship Fund: Designated donations providing scholarship awards to Clarke County High School graduates of color attending college.
4. Brick Paver Sales: Sponsorship bricks sold for placement in the museum's front walkway Walk of Fame. Bricks starting at $500 endowment level qualify for Walk of Fame recognition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Josephine School Community Museum operates a living museum housed in the original restored 1882 Josephine City School building, sharing the people, objects, and stories of Clarke County's African-American history and heritage. Its core activities include on-site museum visitation, the JSMC Book Club for literacy and cultural understanding, the annual Helen O. Carr Dramatic Reading Competition for elementary students, scholarship awards for local high school graduates of color, and community programming such as the Middle Potomac History Research Group.

Product overview

The Josephine School Community Museum operates as a single, unified offering—a living museum experience housed in a restored 1882 school building. The museum's portfolio consists of multiple interconnected programs: the core museum visitation experience (open Sundays and by appointment), the JSMC Book Club for literacy and cultural understanding, the annual Helen O. Carr Dramatic Reading Competition for students, a membership program with four tiers, donation programs (General Fund, Scholarship Fund, and memorial funds), and a brick sponsorship initiative. These offerings work together to fulfill the museum's mission of preserving and sharing Clarke County's African-American history and heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Josephine School Community Museum Living Museum Experience A living museum dedicated to restoring the original 1882 school house and sharing the people, objects, and stories that form the continuing legacy of Clarke County's African-American history and heritage. Open Sundays 1pm-3pm and by appointment at 303 Josephine Street, Berryville, VA. Admission is free.
• JSMC Book Club A literacy and cultural understanding program featuring monthly book discussions on historical fiction and nonfiction titles highlighting African-American history and the eighteenth century forward. Held in person at the museum and at partner venue Barns of Rose Hill.
• Helen O. Carr Dramatic Reading Competition Annual Black History Month celebration featuring oral interpretation of stories, poems, folktales, or essays written by or about African Americans, open to students in grades 2-5 in partnership with Clarke County Public Schools.
• Museum Membership Program Annual membership program with four tiers: Individual ($25), Family ($50), Non-Profit ($75), and Corporate ($100), offering supporter benefits and Walk of Fame recognition for endowment contributions of $500 or more.
• Donation Programs Financial contribution options including General Fund (supports operations, research, and exhibits), Scholarship Fund (awards to Clarke County High School graduates of color attending college), and Honor Helen Carr memorial giving.
• Brick Sponsorship Program Sponsorship brick program allowing supporters to purchase commemorative bricks placed in the museum's front walkway Walk of Fame, with bricks starting at $500 endowment level qualifying for Walk of Fame recognition. Proceeds support the Clarke County African-American Cultural Center.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• African-American Historical Association of Fauquier CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a nearby museum resource that visitors might also enjoy. Located at 4243 Loudoun Avenue, The Plains, Virginia 20198. Mutual referral relationship.
• Clarke County Historical AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced for local genealogy study resources. Located at 32 W. Main Street, Berryville, Virginia 22611. Collaborative relationship in preserving local history.
• Barns of Rose HillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host venue for book club events. Located at 95 Chalmers Court, Berryville, Virginia 22611. Hosts Jonathan Noyalas book discussion in June 2026.
• Handley Regional LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a resource for local genealogy study. Located at 100 W. Piccadilly Street, Winchester, Virginia 22601. Collaborative relationship for research support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Clarke County Historical Association: Direct peer — a local Clarke County history museum and archive listed as a referral partner on the museum's contact page. Both organizations serve the same community around local Virginia history preservation.
• African-American Historical Association of Fauquier County: Direct peer — neighboring African-American heritage organization explicitly listed as a referral partner. Closely comparable mission of preserving African-American history in a rural Virginia county setting.
• Barns of Rose Hill: Direct peer — Berryville, VA community arts and heritage venue that co-hosts the museum's book club events. Comparable small-town cultural-heritage nonprofit model with similar volunteer-led programming.

Regional players

• Loudoun Museum: Regional peer — small local history museum in Leesburg, VA, listed by the museum as a nearby cultural site. Comparable scale and rural Virginia historical-preservation focus, just outside Clarke County.
• Frontier Culture Museum: Regional peer — open-air living-history museum in Staunton, VA, listed as a regional referral. Comparable living-history interpretation concept, though at a larger institutional scale.
• Museum of the Shenandoah Valley: Regional peer — regional heritage museum in Winchester, VA, listed as a referral partner. Comparable Shenandoah Valley historical-preservation mission, though with significantly larger resources and visitor scale.
• Old Court House Civil War Museum: Regional peer — small history museum in Winchester, VA, listed as a referral. Comparable small nonprofit local-history institution in the same regional geography.
• Lovettsville Historical Society Museum: Regional peer — small town historical society museum in Lovettsville, VA, listed as a referral. Closely comparable community-volunteer museum model focused on local heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: Broad incumbent — National Park Service heritage site in West Virginia listed as a referral. Much larger institution with federal funding, but overlapping African-American and Civil War history interpretation that draws the same visitor segment.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture: Broad incumbent — Smithsonian institution in Washington, D.C. dedicated to African-American history. Operates at vastly larger scale but addresses the same subject matter and can drive traffic to smaller regional African-American heritage sites.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about josephine school community museum