historic schools

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

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.

Scotland Schoolhouse, 2003 

Photos Courtesy of Bob Lewis

871 - 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. 

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. 

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

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. 

Social hall of the Knights of St. Jerome, ca 1994. Courtesy St. Mary's County Department of Land Use and Growth Management.

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.

St. Peter Claver School, ca 1940 Courtesy St. Peter Claver Church

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.  The present church was constructed in 1961.

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.

Graduating Class of 1940 

Photo courtesy of Alice Bennett

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.

Cardinal Gibbons Institute, 1920s 

Photo courtesy of St. Peter Claver Church.

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.

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.

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.

Photo courtesy of St. Mary's County Government

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. 

Drayden One-room Schoolhouse, circa 1999 

Photo courtesy of Elmer Brown

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.

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.

Banneker School, 1938 Courtesy Banneker Alumni Association.

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.

 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.

Phyllis Wheatley Two-room Schoolhouse, circa 2002 Photo courtesy St. Mary's County Government

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.

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.

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.

Fenwick Two-room School built in 1900; photo courtesy St. Mary's County Schools

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jarboesville - Elementary, Junior-Senior High. Courtesy of St. Mary's County Schools

George Washington Carver High School (1964).  Photo courtesy of Janice Walthour

George Washington Carver High School (1964).  Photo courtesy of Janice Walthour

George Washington Carver High School (1964).  Photo courtesy of Janice Walthour

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.