Small Manuscript Collections, Edmund Steiner Collection, Correspondence
Edmund Steiner was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, on February 28, 1904, to Edward and Anna Meta (Mattie) Steiner. Edmund is one of four children, being the only son. In 1930, Edmund ended up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as an engineer for an electric corporation. He was a lodger in the home of Ellen T. Finch. […]
William W.M. Henry Comprehensive High School
In 1947 the General Assembly appropriated funding to build a comprehensive high school for Blacks and other persons of color residing in central Delaware. The site for the new school was selected in 1949. The state and the Delaware School Auxiliary Association allocated additional funding, and construction was begun in 1951. The new school opened […]
Rabbit’s Ferry School 201-C
Rabbit’s Ferry School educated Native American and African American students of the Robinsonville area from 1920-1965. Built in 1919 through Pierre S. du Pont’s school rebuilding program, the school served students in grades 1-8 and later, grades 1-6. Rabbit’s Ferry was one of the last active one-room schools in the state when it closed in […]
Old Claymont High School
NCC-099: Constructed 1924-25. Also known as the Green Street School. Prominent in United States history as the first public high school in the 17 segregated states to be legally integrated. In January 1951, eight black students applied for admission. Due to the “separate but equal” education system in place at that time, the Claymont Board […]
Rosedale Beach Hotel and Resort
On this site was located the Rosedale Beach Hotel and Resort. The hotel and resort operated from the early 1900s to the 1970s. In the pre-integration era of the 20th century, there were very few places for people of color to go for entertainment and hotel accommodations. Because of this, Rosedale Beach was a destination […]
Booker T. Washington School
KC-88: On November 13, 1922, 210 children and 6 teachers marched from two old school buildings located on Slaughter Street and Division Street to a new school for African-American students in Dover. Funding for the building was provided by the Delaware School Auxiliary Association, through the generosity of P. S. duPont. The school was named […]
Salesianum School
NC-148: Salesianum School, a Catholic high school for young men, stood at 8th and West Streets from its founding in 1903 until its move to this location in 1957. The original “House of Sales” was pioneered by Rev. Charles Fromentin, Rev. James Isenring and Rev. Louis Jacquier, priests in the order of the Oblates of […]
Brown v. Board of Education
NC-138: Delaware remained a racially segregated society until the mid-twentieth century. Though the segregation of public schools was supported by the “separate but equal” doctrine that had been upheld by the nation’s highest court, the facilities and services provided for students were hardly equal. Seeking to address this situation, citizens in the communities of Claymont […]
The Milford School Desegregation Crisis of 1954
In honor of African American History Month, the Delaware Public Archives will present a special program to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education case on Saturday, February 1, 2014, 10:30 a.m. Following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education in May 1954, Milford High School […]
