Paul Laurence Dunbar School
The Paul Laurence Dunbar School educated African American students in Laurel in grades 1-11 from 1921-1965. Constructed as part of philanthropist Pierre S. du Pont’s school rebuilding program, the Dunbar School replaced a small wood-framed school in West Laurel built in 1867. The new building was named for black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and also […]
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 […]
Richard Allen School
SC-249: In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, Delaware did not have a comprehensive state-wide education system. By 1915, Delaware schools were ranked among the poorest in the country. Worse yet, African American students often attended dilapidated schools under deplorable conditions. Seeing an opportunity to help all students in Delaware, Pierre S. du Pont […]
Delaware State College High School
On June 17, 1921, the Board of Trustees of the State College for Colored Students, later known as Delaware State College, approved a resolution recommending the establishment of a four year high school for Negro students on its campus. This was the second such institution in the state, and the first outside of Wilmington. Many […]
Rodney Square
NCC-226: Rodney Square, named for Caesar Rodney, has been the symbolic center of Wilmington since the early 20th century. The area served as a reservoir from 1827 to 1877, and as the site of the New Castle County Courthouse from 1877 to 1919. Pierre S. du Pont envisioned a landscape adjacent to the DuPont headquarters […]
Iron Hill School #112-C
The Iron Hill area was a community of African American farming and mining families. Constructed in 1923, Iron Hill School #112-C was one of over 80 schools built with funding from Pierre S. duPont, who sought to replace rundown public schools with modern facilities. Open from 1923-1964, the school was in session from September through […]
