Much of downtown Mount Hope remains nearly as it was in the 1920s. Its cultural focus extends beyond this streetscape: the Mount Hope Historical Walking Trail explores history at multiple stops, while the DuBois on Main Museum focuses on DuBois High School. Together, they offer a place-based and a school-history perspective. When planning your trip, this distinction can help you choose the perspective that interests you most.
Downtown, District, and Walking Tour
The Mount Hope Historic District includes parts of Main, Tennessee, Montana, and Virginia Streets; Fayette and Mountain Avenues; Stadium Drive; North Pax Avenue; and North Maryland. These street names give the historic district a specific geographic description. While the district is defined by parts of several streets, the Walking Trail is a self-guided tour of 16 historic sites. These are two different ways of organizing local history: the district extends along named streets, while the trail follows a series of stops.
The trail follows Mount Hope’s sidewalks. At each stop, QR codes link to the Clio app, which provides detailed historical information and stories. The combination of a self-guided route and digital content can be understood as two layers of the tour: the stops map out the route through town, while the app provides in-depth information and stories. In this way, the tour connects historic places with additional context.
DuBois High School in Historical Context
The DuBois on Main Museum is located at 116 Main Street. It presents the history and contributions of DuBois High School from 1919 to 1956. DuBois School was the first high school for African Americans in Fayette County and was named after Dr. W. E. B. DuBois. The focus is therefore on a specific school, its history, and its significance in the county.
The consolidation of schools in Mount Hope provides further historical context. At the start of the 1956–57 school year, DuBois High School was renamed Mount Hope High School. The 1919–1956 period covered by the museum describes the school history presented there; 1956–57, by contrast, marks when the name changed. This keeps the subject and the name change clearly distinct in time.
More Traces of Mount Hope
The history of business also has a connection to Mount Hope: the New River Company offices are still standing. The Mount Hope Phoenix Wall adds a mural on a building at 707 Main St. to the area’s historic themes. Visitor amenities in Mount Hope include historical and interpretive information and exhibits, as well as parking for cars. The points of interest thus range from the preserved downtown streetscape and school history to business history and mural art. You can choose your focus based on whether you are more interested in the streetscape, educational history, or other historical traces.
Discover more destinations: Oak Hill, Fayetteville and Ansted.
For the broader travel overview: Fayette County.
