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 Historic African American Schools in
St. Mary's County, Maryland
African
Americans achieved a great deal through
educational and religious institutions.
Education was vital to the success of
those who remained in the county after
the war. Segregated one and two
room schools such as the Drayden School
were established for "colored" children
in the 1970s with the help of the
Freedmen's Bureau. The first
Catholic school for African American
children opened its doors in 1886 at the
Knights of St. Jerome's Hall in Dameron.
The site of Cardinal Gibbons Institute,
the first black Catholic high school, is
marked with a memorial in its honor.
African American protestant churches
date back as far as 1813. The rich
histories of these churches tell of camp
meetings, revivals and gala homecomings.
Benjamin
Banneker School and George Washington
Carver School, formerly Jarboesville
School, provided the first opportunities
for African Americans to attend public
high school in the county.
Brown vs. the Board of Education in
1954 set the legal stage for
desegregation, but it was not until 1967
that the county schools were full
desegregated.
These
notes provide some information about the
schools located on the map. Both
the
MAP and these notes are
"works-in-progress."
Although
many folks named the schoolhouses after
geographical locations, public schools
were officially referred to by their
district and school number until
consolidation of the schools took place
in the mid-1940s and 1950s. The
sites of most of the eleven Freedmen's
Bureau schools purported to be build
between 1865 and 1968 are not included.
Some may never have been built; others
were probably absorbed into the county
system after 1872. Other schools
are waiting to be remembered and
relocated in this history, and, of
course, corrections and additions to
what follows are encouraged.
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before 1871 - after 1900
School # 1, District # 1
No longer standing, the
Fairfield schoolhouse was in
the area around the former
St. James Church (Mattapany
Road and Rte. 235) and is
referred to as "Fairfield"
in Father Walsh's book. The
1874 surrender of the
Freedman's Bureau school in
the 1st District to the
county may have referred to
this school.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Washington Hawkins, Benedict
Barnes, Isaac Armstrong
If you know more about
the Fairfield Schoolhouse,
please write to us. |
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1871 - c.1930
School # 2, District # 1
No longer standing, the Pine
schoolhouse was probably in
two locations. UCAC
informant, Alice Bennett,
referred to this schools as
"Tall Pines", and described
it as being on the north
side on Bennett Drive, near
Rte. 5. She also said that
the first of the Black
schools was located about
where Anne and Tony's Store
stands - across from St.
Michael's Church. Also
referenced in Father Walsh's
book which mentions an event
at the school and refers to
the area near the present
church as "the Pines" or
"tall pines."
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Benj. Biscoe, Peter Jones,
Joseph W. Bennett
If you know more about
the The Pine Schoolhouse,
please write to us. |
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1879 - 1949
School # 3; District # 1
Scotland School is still
standing and is located on
the corner of Rte. 5 and
Fresh Pond Neck Road.
Sometime after 1949, the
building was used for many
years as a barbershop by
Guffrie Smith. The family is
seeking funds to restore the
building.
County Planning and Zoning
Historical Survey records
note:
Scotland School is
located on land donated
by the Quaker family of
Broardley for the
establishment of a
Public School for
blacks. This land was
donated to the St.
Mary's Board of
Education in 1878. The
building that stands on
the property today was
originally a white
elementary school that
was moved from another
site (Carriage Lane
Road) and placed in
1879. The school was
sold by the Board of
Education to private
ownership in 1949.
If you know more about the
Scotland School,
please write to us.
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Children coming out of
Scotland School at noon,
September 1940.
Photograph by John Vachon,
Library of Congress,
Prints & Photographs
Division, FSA/OWI
Collection, LC-fsa 8c17847
Scotland Schoolhouse, 2003
Photos Courtesy of Bob Lewis |
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1896 - 1940's
School # 4, District # 1
Still standing on the west
side of Mt Zion Church Road
about .3 miles from
Beachville Road, St. Inigoes
one-room schoolhouse was
converted into a residence
in the 1940's. Still owned
by the St. Mary's County
Commissioners, the building
was leased into the late
1970's at such time the
leasor chose to build her
own home next door.
Maryland tax records list
the property as:
SCHOOL HOUSE LOT
BALLTOWN
Since the 1970's, the
schoolhouse has fallen into
disrepair and is in extreme
danger of being disposed of.
UCAC members were lucky to
find the schoolhouse, as
seen in the photographs
above, with the help of
Richard Ball (pictured) who
is a long term resident of
the area. Mr. Ball indicated
to us that neighbors had
mowed the lawn around the
building into the mid
1980's.
If you know more about St.
Inigoes School,
please write to us.
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St. Inigoes One-room
Schoolhouse with Elvare
Gaskin standing in front;
Photo courtesy of Andrea
Hammer
St. Inigoes One-room
Schoolhouse, 2002
Photo
courtesy of Bob Lewis |
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Initially called the St.
Inigoes Beneficial Society,
the Knights of St. Jerome
took its present name on
March 1, 1880, thus "uniting
together the various
beneficial societies into a
single order."2
Ever since it was first
conceived, the organization
has taken care of the widows
and orphans, helped to bury
the indigent dead, and cared
for the sick and disabled.
The Knights of St. Jerome
met in their new hall on
November 1, 1886, to form
plans for the first
parochial school for African
American children in St.
Mary's County. Mr.
Nicholas Biscoe offered the
resolution appointing Father
Gaffney as treasurer for the
school. Mr. Ignatius
Smallwood was appointed a
member of the financial
committee. Nicholas
Biscoe, Samuel E. Carroll,
and Daniel Oliver Barnes
were appointed for the
building committee.
They started to raise money,
and by the following meeting
on November 26, they had
collected $37.50. At a
meeting on December 4, the
Knights decided to hold the
school on the ground floor
of St. Jerome's Hall.
The first teacher of the
school was Daniel Oliver
Barnes.
The Saint Inigoes Colored
Parochial School began
operations in the early part
of May 1887. This was
quite different from the
start of the school year for
"colored" public school
students. The
"colored" public schools
generally had a shorter
school year than the white
schools, and the African
American parents greatly
resented this disparity.
By beginning in May, the new
school gave the children an
opportunity to complete the
normal school year.
In July 1887, the new school
held its first end-of-year
commencement. The
priests
of the area, Father
Gaffney, Father Neale, and
the newly arrived Father
William
Tynan, S.J. were
invited to attend the
commencement. When the
group arrived at St.
Jerome's Hall they found the
hall-turned-schoolhouse
decorated with flowers and
evergreens. The
children were dressed in
their holiday attire,
looking neat and orderly.
There were outstanding
recitations, dialogues, and
singing.
In October 1888, the
trustees of the school voted
to require the parents to
stock the wood shed or their
children would be removed
from the school. It is
uncertain how long the
school remained open.
Mention of a school at St.
Inigoes disappears after
1884. It may have
still been in operation in
April 1887.
The Beacon
reported that Mr. Daniel O.
Barnes had accepted the post
of treasure of the
Republican Party and
referred to him as "the
teacher of the Parochial
School."3
, 4
If you know more about the
Knights of St. Jerome
School,
please write to us. |
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Social hall of the Knights
of St. Jerome, ca 1994.
Courtesy St. Mary's County
Department of Land Use and
Growth Management
Social hall of the Knights
of St. Jerome
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1916 - 1965
Still Standing. Is
located near the church on
St. Peter Claver Church Road
(off Route 5, south of St.
Inigoes). The school
opened soon after African
American members of St.
Michael's church left to
establish St. Peter's
Church. The school
closed with the
desegregation of county
schools in 1967; many
students transferred to St.
Michael's School in Ridge.
(Elementary closed in 1965,
and seventh and eighth
grades closed in 1967.)
If you know more about
St. Peter Claver School,
please write to us. |
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St. Peter Claver School, ca
1940
Courtesy St. Peter
Claver Church |
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1916 - 1922
Roman Catholic (private
school)
No longer standing, the St.
Alphonsus School was located
on Rte. 235 six miles north
of Ridge near the
intersection with Mattapany
Road. It was part of the St.
James Parish and was built
with contributions from
Mother Katherine Drexel. The
school was opened in 1916
and continued until 1922
with Mrs. Jennie Beal as its
only teacher.
If you know more about
the St. Alphonsus School,
please write to us. |
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In 1924, Roman Catholics
embarked on a mission to
provide agricultural and
industrial education for
African American youth in
Southern Maryland.
Opening ceremonies
dedicating Gibbons Hall on
October 24, 1924 were
attended by a large crowd
and presided over by Father
John LaFarge, Principal
Victor Daniel, and Assistant
Principal Constance Daniel.
Its founders defined three
primary purposes for the
Institute: to combine
Tuskegee-style industrial
and agricultural education
with Catholic education, to
promote a sound
understanding and love of
the Catholic faith to make
African American youth
leaders in their communities
and the church, and to serve
as a "community school" for
the people of Southern
Maryland.
When the Institute opened,
there was no public high
school for African Americans
in St. Mary's County, and
the Catholic elementary
school, St. Peter Claver,
had existed only since 1916.
A combination of poor
educational opportunity,
poverty, and a lack of
physicians and nurses caused
St. Mary's County to have
the highest death rate and
most primitive agricultural
methods of any county in the
United States in the 1920s.
With the blossoming of the
Harlem Renaissance, art
education at the Institute
used African American
literature, history, and
music as the foundation of
its liberal arts curriculum.
It made agricultural and
health education priorities.
The Daniels worked to show
that the denial of civil
rights and justice had
direct bearing on the
physical, mental, and
spiritual health of African
Americans.
Although lack of funding
forced a temporary closure
of the Institute in 1934,
during
the Great Depression,
it was reopened in 1938, and
the success of its programs
was
already evident in the
improving standard of living
in St. Mary's County.
The Institute closed its
doors in 1967, and the
building was torn down in
1972.5
If you know more about the
Cardinal Gibbons Institute,
please write to us. |
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Graduating Class of 1940
Photo courtesy of Alice
Bennett
Cardinal Gibbons Institute,
1920s
Courtesy of St. Peter Claver
Church.
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1874 - 1940s
School # 1, District # 2
No longer standing, the
Valley Lee / Great Mills
two-room schoolhouse was
located on Rte. 249 near
where St. Luke's Church now
stands (adjacent to Steuart
Petroleum Road). Children
from St. George's Island
transferred to this school
after the St. George's
Island school was destroyed
in the 1933 hurricane. UCAC
informants Georgia Milburn
and Catherine Travers
attended this school.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Charles H. Guyther, J. Bean
Tippett, Philip J. Medley
If you know more about
the Valley Lee/Great Mills School,
please write to us. |
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1890 - 1944
School # 2; District # 2
Located about a mile south
of Drayden Road on
Cherryfield Road, Drayden
Schoolhouse is currently
owned by St. Mary's County
and is under the watchful
eye of the Department of
Recreation and Parks -
Museum Division. After many
years in the hands of a
private citizen, the
building and one acre was
gifted to the county in
1999. Plans for
interpretation are currently
not funded.
Badly needed maintenance on
the property was
administered in 2000 funded
by DynCorp Range Technical
Services Inc., Christmas in
April, and the county.
Although exterior paint was
not found on early
schoolhouses, the building
was painted in order to
preserve the original siding
planks and because the
building had already been
painted in years past.
UCAC informants and oral
histories gathered by local
resident, Ruth Dilliner,
indicate that the school
yard was entirely dirt (mud
on rainy days). Comments on
the actual experience at
Drayden School can be heard
or read from former student
Clarence Smith.
The Planning and Zoning
Historic Survey (1994)
states:
The Drayden Schoolhouse
stands on a one-acre lot
. . . purchased by Mary
Ellen
Gross and Daniel
A. Gross in 1889. This
simple frame one-room
school-house
appears to have been built
on the property soon after
their purchase. The Gross
family owned the property
until 1944 suggesting that
the Board of Education
rented
the school building from
them . . . . In 1944 the Drayden
Schoolhouse was closed
and students were bused
to Jarboesville . . . .
Once the building ceased
to serve as a
schoolhouse, it was
occupied as a residence.
If you know more about the
Drayden School,
please write to us.
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Photo courtesy of St. Mary's
County Government
Drayden One-room
Schoolhouse, circa 1999
photo courtesy of Elmer
Brown
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1890 - 1938
School # 3, District # 2
No longer standing, the
Piney Point schoolhouse was
located on Rte. 249 near
where St. Luke's Church now
stands (adjacent to Stuart
Petroleum Road). Children
from St. George's Island
transferred to this school
after the St. George's
Island school was destroyed
in the 1933 hurricane. UCAC
informants Georgia Milburn
and Catherine Travers
attended this school.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Charles H. Guyther, J. Bean
Tippett, Philip J. Medley
If you know more about
the Piney Point School,
please write to us. |
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1875 - 1933
School No. 1, District No. 9
There were at least two
"Colored" schools on the
island. According to the St.
Mary's County Historical
Society, the first, built in
1875, was near the middle of
the island. The second,
nearer to where Evans
Restaurant now stands, was
abandoned after the
Hurricane of 1933 and is no
longer standing. UCAC
informants Georgia Milburn
and Catherine Travers both
attended this second school.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon lists the
board of trustees for this
school as: Henson Blackwell,
George Dickens, George
Tarlton
If you know more about
the St. George's Island School,
please write to us. |
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before 1900 - 1930s
School # 1, District # 3
In the early decades of the
20th century, this school
was located in two
buildings; grades 1 - 3 in a
room in the back of the old
St. Aloysius Society
Building and grades 4 - 7 in
a schoolhouse on the east
side of Rte. 5 down the hill
from the Leonardtown Square
and near the cemetery.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Dominick Butler, George
Creighton, George Smith
If you know more about
the Leonardtown School,
please write to us. |
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before 1900 - 1930s?
School # 1, District # 3
No longer standing, the
Oakley schoolhouse was the
first school for African
Americans in the seventh
district. Located on the
corner of Oakley Road and
Sugar Hole Road, this site
now hosts the Milestown
one-room school which was
moved here in the 1930s.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Frederick Wilson, Adam
Mahoney, Thomas Thomas
If you know more about
Oakley School,
please write to us. |
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1984 - 1938
School #2, District # 3
Located south of the
intersection of Route 234
(Budd's Creek Road) and
Route 242 (Colton's Point
Road). The school is
referred to as the "Dirt
Bridge School" in a
1924-1925 "Teachers of
Colored Schools" list and,
according to the St. Mary's
County Historical Society,
is referred to as "Claments"
on a list of "Colored
Schools" for the same year.
The building is no longer
standing.
If you know more about
the St. Clement's Bay School,
please write to us. |
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after 1900 - after 1941
School # 2, District # 3
No longer standing, the
schoolhouse in Abell was
located on the south side of
Rte. 242 between Abell Road
and Paul Ellis Road. After
the River Springs was no
longer serviceable, the
one-room Abell school opened
and taught grades 1 - 6.
If you know more about
the Abell School,
please write to us. |
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before 1900 - ?
School # 2, District # 3
No longer standing, the
River Springs schoolhouse
was the second school for
African Americans in the
seventh district. Located on
the south side of Rte. 242
around the Holy Angels
Church, this one-room
schoolhouse was probably
replaced by the Milestown
schoolhouse in the early
1900s.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Frederick Wilson, Adam
Mahoney, Thomas Thomas
If you know more about
the River Springs,
please write to us. |
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1876 - 1938
School # 3, District # 3
No longer standing, the Red
Gate one-room school was
located on Rte. 5 about
midway between Whirlwind
Road and Moll Dyer Road.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: James H.
Holly, Robert Sewell,
Alexander Barnes
If you know more about
the Red Gate School,
please write to us. |
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1878 - 1938
School # 4, District # 3
No longer standing, Beggar's
Neck School (now known as
Newtown Neck School) was
located on the north side of
Rte. 243 somewheres near to
Rosebank Road.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
Fred Tyre, William Thompson,
John Turner
If you know more about the
Beggar's Neck School,
please write to us. |
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after 1900 - before 1941
School # 5, District # 3
No longer standing, the
Medley's Neck School school
was located on the north
side of Rte. 244 near Our
Lady's Chapel.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
George F. Combs, Henry
Campbell, Joseph Brooks
If you know more about
the Medley's Neck School,
please write to us. |
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School # 3; District # 7
(became school #1 when it
was moved)
Recently remodeled and sold,
this early one-room school
was moved in the 1930s to
its present location on the
corner of Oakley Road and
Sugar Hole Road. This site
was once occupied by the
Oakley Schoolhouse. The
large windows along one side
are not typical of early
one-room schoolhouses in
southern Maryland but rather
represent a new plan
introduced after World War
I. Windows on the south side
helped a lot in areas where
rural electrification came
late and budgets for
kerosene were often lacking.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
William Clark, Wilson Dyson,
George Shaw.
If you know more about the
Milestown School,
please write to us. |
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Milestown One-room Schoolhouse
in 2002; photos courtesy Bob
Lewis
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1923 - 1934
No longer standing, the
Industrial schoolhouse was
located in an old farmhouse
owned by the Banneker
trustees. It was deeded to
the county Board of
Education in 1929.
If you know more about
the Industrial School,
please write to us. |
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Banneker School represents
the outgrowth of a long
effort of the black
community to secure a school
for their race in the
northern end of St. Mary's
County. The first step was
recorded on March 28, 1896,
when a group of eight
citizens formed a
corporation to be known as
the "St. Mary's Colored High
School."
Directors of the corporation
for the first year:
James H. Brown,
President
William L. Clark,
Vice President
George Green,
Recording Secretary
George H. Bankins,
Corresponding Secretary
William F. Hall,
Treasurer
In 1923, records show the
incorporation of an
education institution called
The Central Colored
Industrial School. James H.
Stewart, Thomas A. Mack,
William B. Thompson, William
L. Clarke, and T. Herbert
Blackiston comprised the
board of directors of this
group. The stated purpose of
the corporation was the
"education of Colored youths
where they may be taught the
usual branches of a sound
English education and
receive instruction and
practical training in
agriculture, industrial, and
mechanical pursuits."1
The efforts of this group
resulted in the founding of
Banneker School.
The school first operated in
an old farmhouse. Parents
formed a group called the
United Parent Trustee
Association (UPTA) and
pooled their energies and
resources to make the school
a success. The student body
was drawn from all parts of
the county. Those children
not within commuting
distance boarded with
families in the Loveville
area. The UPTA bore the
expense of buying and
operating school buses; the
group's 1925 appeal to the
St. Mary's County Board of
Education to take over the
financial burden for buses
was refused. In 1929, the
County Board of Education
agreed to receive the
property on Route 5 north of
Leonardtown known as Bucks
Park or the Industrial
School Property. On April 8,
1930, the Central Colored
Industrial School, operating
under the UPTA name,
transferred title of the
72-acre parcel to the Board
of Education of St. Mary's
County for the sum of one
dollar.
In 1932 two rooms were added
to the school; these rooms
were designed as space for a
high school. However, the
high school still did not
materialize, and the black
students of the county who
desired a high school
education continued to
attend Pomonkey High School
in Charles County, boarding
in that area during the week
and returning to St. Mary's
County for the weekends.
Finally, in 1934, Banneker
High School began operation
with Mr. James O. Wright and
Miss Henderson the first
teachers. The first
graduation took place in
1937. Dorothy Somerville
Thomas and Theresa Parker
Carter were the first
graduates. Banneker School
continued as a combination
elementary and high school
for blacks until integration
of St. Mary's County schools
resulted in its becoming
exclusively elementary.2
Benjamin
Banneker School and George Washington
Carver School, formerly Jarboesville
School, provided the first opportunities
for African Americans to attend public
high school in the county.
Brown vs. the Board of Education in
1954 set the legal stage for
desegregation, but it was not until 1967
that the county schools were full
desegregated.
1 St. Mary's
County Corporations Record,
JAC1/42, in Regina Combs
Hammett, History of St.
Mary's County, Maryland
1634-1990, 1991 p. 325.
2 Hammett, p.
325.
If you know more about
Banneker School,
please write to us.
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Banneker School, 1938
Courtesy Banneker Alumni
Association.
United Parent Trustee
Association, ca.1925;
Courtesy of Catherine
Thompson Known Member's of
the United Parents Trustee
Association: Sam Bankins,
James Bush, Herbert
Blackistone, Mr. & Mrs.
Abraham Butler, Charles
Butler, William Clarke, Clem
Dyson, John Frederick,
Joseph Handy, Scanalon
Herbert, Jarrard Jameson,
Thomas Mack, Daniel Morgan,
John Shelton, Benny Smith,
Dave Smith, Deli Somerville,
John T. Somerville, James H.
Stewart, Frankie Swales,
William B. Thompson, Stephen
Young.
Teacher Ralph Butler with
4th, 5th, and 6th grade
classes, Banneker School
1949
Courtesy of the Butler
family. |
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about 1934 - ?
No longer standing, the
Maryland Springs school was
located on the west side of
Rte. 5 shortly before the
intersection with Pincushion
Road. Formerly a white
school (the first Maryland
Springs school was built in
1842) and still used as a
white school in 1924,
Maryland Springs housed the
junior high for Banneker
school once the high school
opened there, probably
beginning in 1934.
If you know more about
the Maryland Springs School,
please write to us. |
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1866 - ?
School # 1; District # 4
No longer standing, a
Chaptico School was built by
the Freedman's Bureau in
1866. In 1877 the "John
Wesley Chapel" offered use
of its building and land to
the county for a "colored"
school five days a week.
If you know more about
the Chaptico School,
please write to us. |
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Hurry: before 1873 - ? and
Crossroads: ? - 1938
School # 1, District # 4
No longer standing, the
Hurry schoolhouse was
located on Crop Road.
Historical Society records
show repair expenses in 1873
and 1876.
The Crossroads schoolhouse
came sometime later and is
believed to be a replacement
for the Hurry schoolhouse.
No longer standing,
Crossroads was located at
the intersection of Hurry
Chaptico Road and Manor Road
in the NE corner.
Both schools are listed in
Board of Education records
as "school # 1, district #
4".
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for Hurry school:
Richard Winters, Joseph
Young, Charles Barnes
If you know more about
the Hurry or Crossroads Schools,
please write to us. |
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1881 - 1956
School # 2; District # 4
No longer standing, the
Budd's Creek two-room school
was located on Budd's Creek
Road just west of the
intersection with Chaptico
Mechanicsville Road. It was
a new building in 1881. In
1941, Board of education
records show that two
teachers taught grades 1 - 3
and 4 - 7 respectively.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: J. Walter
Yates, Emmanuel Toyer, Caleb
Bush
If you know more about
the Budd's Creek School,
please write to us. |
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before 1940 - 1956
School # 3; District # 4
No longer standing, the
Mechanicsville School was
located on Flora Corner Road
at the intersection with old
Rte. 5 and was housed in the
Benevolent Society Building
which was formerly used as a
volunteer rescue squad
building.
If you know more about
the Mechanicsville School,
please write to us. |
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after 1900 - 1940s
School # 4, District # 8
No longer standing, the St.
Francis Hall one-room school
was located on Rte. 235 in
the Esperanza area. Board of
Education records show this
school served grades 1 - 5
until some time in the mid
to late 1940s.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon which lists
local board of trustees for
"colored" schools does not
list this school, therefore
it is assumed that it came
into service some time
later.
If you know more about
the St. Francis Hall School,
please write to us. |
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after 1900 - 1910
No longer standing, the Tin
Top School was located on
Tin Top Road (off Yowaiski
Mill Road). UCAC informant
Annie Butler Curtis informed
us that her father, Abraham
Butler, taught in this
school prior to 1911.
If you know more about
Tin Top School,
please write to us. |
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before 1900 - 1938
School # 1, District # 5
No longer standing, The Oaks
schoolhouse was located on
the east side of All Faith
Church Road just before it
intersects with Golden Beach
Road.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for "school #1":
William Brown, J. A. Tolson,
William Harris
If you know more about
the The Oaks Schoolhouse,
please write to us. |
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1882 (or earlier) - 1916
School # 2; District # 5
No longer standing, the
Trent Hall School was
located on the south side of
Rte. 6 across from the
intersection with Trent Hall
Road.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: John
Hawkins, Moses Coates, John
Jenefer
If you know more about
Trent Hall School,
please write to us. |
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after 1900 - 1952
School # 2; District # 5
No longer standing, the
Gravelly Knolls one-room
school was located on the
north side of Rte. 6 just
west of the intersection
with Hill and Dale Drive.
One teacher taught grades 1
- 7.
If you know more about
the Gravelly Knolls School,
please write to us. |
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before 1900 - ?
School # 3, District # 5
Located somewhere near the
county line, the Charlotte
Hall school is no longer
standing.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
following local board of
trustees for this school:
George Warren, J. F. Dorey,
John Butler
If you know more about
the Charlotte Hall School,
please write to us. |
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White Marsh One-room
Schoolhouse
School # 3; District # 5
Located just off old Rte. 5
in Mechanicsville and built
in the 1860s, this one-room
log cabin served as the
first Ebenezer A. M. E.
Church. Sometime after 1900,
grades 1 - 3 met in the old
log cabin (still standing).
Grades 4 - 7 met in a
building about 500 feet
away. UCAC informants Ralph
Butler and Phil Scriber
attended this school. A new
White Marsh school was built
in 1956.
The sign over the door
reads:
Dedicated October 15,
1961
Here in this log cabin
100 years ago in this
little
patch of woods, a group
of free humble pious
colored folk met,
catching the spirit of
Richard Allen
in Philadelphia, a
hundred and fifty miles
away.
They organized the
Ebenezer A. M. E.
Church, the first
of its denomination in
Southern Maryland.
In this hollowed spot
their spirits were
enshrined
forever, tho' their
names and faces have
been forgotten
and dimmed by time;
nature in this glade
still catches
their voices in the
murmuring breeze;
reverberates their
song and praise along
the leafy turf, while
the trees, silent
and still around the
cabin wait as
sentinels for the
final shout.
If you know more about White
Marsh School,
please write to us.
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White Marsh One-room
Schoolhouse, circa 1989.
Photo Courtesty Regina
Hammett, History of St.
Mary's County Maryland
1634-1990 |
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after 1900 - 1938
School # 4; District # 5
According to UCAC informant
Ralph Butler, the Oraville
school was located on the
east side of Rte. 6 just
south of Della Brooke Road.
No longer standing.
If you know more about
the Oraville School,
please write to us. |
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1880 - 1943
School # 1; District # 6
No longer standing, the
Oakville schoolhouse replace
an earlier school that
burned. It closed in 1943.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: Harry
Brown, George H. Bankins,
John Thomas
If you know more about
the Oakville School,
please write to us. |
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1877 - 1951
School # 2; District # 6
The Phyllis Wheatley school,
located on Hollywood Road,
is listed in county records
from 1877 until 1951 when
students were sent to other
area segregated schools.
Soon after, the Board of
Education sold the property
and it has been used as a
private residence ever
since. The photograph above,
taken about 1998 by a
consultant hired by St.
Mary's County Government,
shows the structure after an
addition.
The July 5, 1900 edition of
The St. Mary's Beacon lists
the "Board of Schools
Commissioners" appointments
for local "boards of
trustees". Under the heading
"COLORED SCHOOLS - Hollywood
#2", are the names: Hezekiah
Clark and Basil Bankins.
In 1939, there were two
teachers who taught grades 1
- 3 and 4 - 7. The teachers
were a Mr. Henry Lee and a
Ms. Estel Bell. Sometime
after 1939, the two teachers
married.
If you know more about the
Phyllis Wheatley School,
please write to us. |
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Phyllis Wheatley Two-room
Schoolhouse,
circa 2002
Photo courtesy St. Mary's
County government |
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before 1877 - 1920s
School # 3; District # 6
No longer standing, the
Morganza school was located
somewhere along Rte. 242.
Historical Society records
show expenses for repairs in
1877.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: Stephen
Young, David Brown, George
Thomas
If you know more about
the Morganza School,
please write to us. |
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1927 - 1694
Roman Catholic
Located on Route 5 in
Morganza, about a quarter of
a mile south of the church.
During the first year of
operation, it was taught by
two lay teachers. The
following year, Sister
Charles and Sister Elsie
staffed the school.
Enrollment had reached 67.
In 1944, Father Alphonsus R.
Thomas, S.J. bought a
station wagon, which was
used to transport the
children to school.
The following year, a bus
was purchased. In
1946, two rooms and a
library were added and, in
1949, two army barracks were
purchased and made into a
cafeteria and kindergarten.
By about 1950, the school
had six classrooms and
served seven parishes: St.
Joseph's, Morganza; St.
John's, Hollywood; St.
Aloysius, Leonardtown;
Sacred Heart, Bushwood; Holy
Angels, Avenue; Immaculate
Conception, Mechanicsville,
and Our Lady of the Wayside,
Chaptico.
There was also a St.
Joseph's Parochial School
for white children.
The building was converted
into apartments after it
closed in 1964.
If you know more about St.
Joseph's School,
please write to us. |
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School # 3; District # 7
Board of Education records
show that in 1941 the school
had two teachers who taught
grades 1 - 4 and 5 - 7. At
that time, there were 16
Black schools in St. Mary's
County.
According to a UCAC
informant, in the 1950s
Fenwick School had two
teachers, Ms. Florence
Thomas Green who taught
grades 1 - 3 and Ms. Betty
Clark who taught grades 4 -
6. Students then went to
Banneker School for grades 7
- 12.
Fenwick School is located
just north of the corner of
Maddox Road and Bushwood
City Road.
The
school was closed in 1957
and auctioned off into
private residential use. The
sign was sold with the
property and remains in the
proprietor's ownership. Text
on the sign:
FENWICK SCHOOL
DIST.7 NO.3
If you know more about
Fenwick School,
please write to us. |
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Fenwick Two-room School
built in 1900;
photo
courtesy St. Mary's County
Schools
This sign, photographed
while on display in the
African American Schools
Exhibit
at Lexington Park
Memorial Library,
is the
original sign from the front
of Fenwick School. |
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before 1900 - ?
School # 2, District # 8
No longer standing, the
California school was
located on the east side of
Rte. 5 between Rte. 4 and
Town Creek Road.
The July 5, 1900 issue of
The Beacon list the
local board of trustees for
this schools as: Jesse
Biscoe, Dennis Smith, Samuel
Thomas
If you know more about
the California School,
please write to us. |
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1900 - ?
School No. 3, District No. 8
No longer standing,
Hermanville School was
located near the corner of
Hermanville Road on Rte. 5.
It first appears in Board of
Education records in 1900
and was likely built in the
spring of that year or
shortly prior.
The July 5, 1900 edition of
The Beacon list the
local trustees for the
school as: William H.
Brooks, Charles Gordan,
Henry Kane
If you know more about
the Hermanville School,
please write to us. |
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1900 - ?
School No. ?, District No. 8
Some mention has been made
of the "Park Hall Colored
School" but it does not
appear in county records
under this title. It is
possible that it burned
down, a frequent reason for
school closure, shortly
after it was built. Another
possibility is that the
informant was referring to
the "Hermanville School" No.
3 , District No. 8 but using
the name of the
well-documented White school
of the same name - Park Hall
School No. 3.
If you know more about
the Park Hall School,
please write to us. |
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Patuxent Beach School, after
1900 - 1940?
No longer standing, the
Patuxent Beach school was
located on the north side of
Rte. 4 between Rte. 235 and
the Patuxent River bridge.
If you know more about
the Patuxent Beach School,
please write to us. |
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Beginning in
1925-26, Jarboesville School is listed
in school records as "School No 1,
District 8." The one-room building
with outdoor toilet facilities was
located on Route 235 in the area now
known as Lexington Park. The first
principal and teacher was Mrs. Marie
Clayton Smith. The original name
of the school was derived from the
community of Jarboesville, which was
established by the Jarboe family and
located on land that is currently
a part of the Patuxent River Naval Air
Station and the Tulagi Square area of
Lexington Park.
In 1935,
River Springs School, located in the
seventh district, was taken by barge to
Jarboesville and placed on land donated
by Mr. Thomas Harris. This second
Jarboesville School, located in the
vicinity of the first schoolhouse,
opened its doors in 1935 and offered
first- and second-year high school.
There were thirty-eight students
enrolled in these two classes with
students in the second-year having
attended Banneker School's first-year
high school program. Mr. Ralph S.
Waters was appointed principal for that
first year.
In the
fall of 1936, Mr. Julian A. Meares
became principal and remained in the
position until 1962. With each
succeeding year an additional class was
added until Jarboesville School became
an eleven-year program approved by the
Maryland State Department of Education.
Seven
students graduated in the first class in
1939. The school continued to grow
from 1939 to 1947, with varying sizes of
graduating classes ranging from five to
fifteen students. During the same
period, two additional rooms were added
and the curriculum expanded to include
home economics and agriculture.
By 1947,
the student body had outgrown the
building. The Board of Education
then secured from the Navy a dormitory
building in the Carver Heights Community
and converted it to Jarboesville III
School. Shortly after, the school
program began to change from the 7-4
system (seven elementary grades and four
years of high school) to the 6-3-3
system (six elementary grades, three
years of junior high school, and three
years of senior high school). This
transitional period was completed in
1952.
The class
of 1952 was the first class to graduate
from a twelve-year program of schooling.
The growth of the school was evident in
curriculum, facilities, staff, and many
other areas during the years from
1952-61. In 1954, Ms. Marie Joe
Browne became secretary and was an asset
to the school. Marie Joe
Browne became secretary and was an asset
to the school.
In
September 1958, the school was housed in
a new modern structure and was renamed
the George Washington Carver School, in
honor of an outstanding African American
scientist and scholar, Dr. George
Washington Carver. By 1961, the
school had grown to the extent that a
student could pursue a course of study
in any one of three curricula (academic,
commercial, or general) with a full
program of offerings in each curriculum.
The class of 1961, which represented the
largest graduating class in the history
of the school, had a distribution of
eight academic diplomas, two commercial
diplomas, and eleven general diplomas.
In addition, the school provided
services of guidance counseling, library
facilities, a cafeteria hot lunch
program, and a rapidly developing
program in athletics.
In 1962,
Mr. E. Jerry Williams became principal,
and Mr. Bent A. Thompson became vice
principal of George Washington Carver
School. In September 1964, the
school became the George Washington
Carver Junior-Senior High School, no
longer having the elementary school.
The students in grades 1-5 were
transferred to Park Hall Elementary
School, under the leadership of Mr.
Brent A. Thompson as principal.
Carver
School graduated its last high school
class in May 1966 and was then converted
into an integrated junior-high school.
In the fall of 1966, Edward Fitzgerald
was principal.1
Benjamin
Banneker School and George Washington
Carver School, formerly Jarboesville
School, provided the first opportunities
for African Americans to attend public
high school in the county.
Brown vs. the Board of Education in
1954 set the legal stage for
desegregation, but it was not until 1967
that the county schools were full
desegregated.
If you know more about
Jarboesville School,
please write to us.
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George Washington Carver
High School (1964). Photo
courtesy of Janice Walthour
George Washington Carver
High School (1964). Photo
courtesy of Janice Walthour
Jarboesville
- Elementary,
Junior-Senior High.
Courtesy
of St. Mary's County Schools
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 1In
Relentless Pursuit of an Education:
African American Stories from a Century
of Segregation, 1865 - 1967
(Lexington Park, Maryland: Unified
Committee for Afro-American
Contributions of St. Mary's County,
Incorporated, 2006), 56-57.
2"The Unrelenting
Pursuit of Education," a panel from
"Strive Not to Equal, But to Excel," an
exhibit funded in part by the Institute
for Museum and Library Services,
Jefferson Patterson Museum & Exhibit
Services, and the Unified Committee for
Afro-American Contributions of St.
Mary's County. The exhibit opened
at the Lexington Park Library in
November 2002.
3Michael Walsh,
"The Story of the Knights of Saint
Jerome, 1877-2002" (copyright, 2002).
4In Relentless
Pursuit of an Education: African
American Stories from a Century of
Segregation, 1865 - 1967 (Lexington
Park, Maryland: Unified Committee for
Afro-American Contributions of St.
Mary's County, Incorporated, 2006),
9-10.
5In Relentless
Pursuit of an Education: African
American Stories from a Century of
Segregation, 1865 - 1967 (Lexington
Park, Maryland: Unified Committee for
Afro-American Contributions of St.
Mary's County, Incorporated, 2006), 64.
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