Francis Asbury Elementary School

Education in Fox Hill

Fox Hill has not been lax on education.   Generations of children have started their academics at Francis Asbury Elementary School.  The first school was located at 188 and 190 Beach Road.  Later a new school was built at 140 Beach Road.  Children living in the Harris Creek area traveled by boat across Harris Creek to attend Francis Asbury.

In 1964, part of Asbury burned due to an electrical fire in the cafeteria.  The newest part of the school (at that time) was the two story section which is still used today.  The original building had to be torn down and rebuilt.  To house the student population for the rest of the school year,  all but three classes went ot Kecoughtan High School on Woodland Road.  Kecoughtan had room since it opened that year and did not have a graduating class.  the two fourth grades and one fifth grade went to Phoebus Elementary School. The next year, Asbury students went to Langley View, now Samuel P. Langley Elementary School, to start the year.  By Christmas, Asbury was completed and the students could go back home.

Francis Asbury Elementary

This is an older picture since the added section over the front doorway doesn't exist as it did before the school burned in 1964

By the time Asbury was rebuilt, the cookie cutter floor plan was in place.  The new building didn't have the character of the old one.  Each morning, in the old school, a male student would climb out of the window of Mrs. Catherine Julian's room onto the roof to raise and lower the American Flag. 

It was difficult in the early days to continue your education past grade or "normal" school.  After graduating from Asbury, you attended George Wythe Junior High on Victoria Boulevard (which was still in Elizabeth City County).   To complete your education, you had attend Hampton High School in the City of Hampton.