Black Delaware History Collections

By David Cardillo, Digital Collections and Preservation

In support of the research needs of our community, Digital Collections and Preservation is proud to showcase a new digital collection, Black Delaware History collections. These printed materials and archival collections cover a wide range of topics, including segregation and desegregation, civil rights, the Black church and education, offering a rich lens into the Black experience in Delaware.

One highlight of the collection is a pamphlet documenting the Industrial Home for Colored Girls in Marshallton, Delaware.

Industrial Home for Colored Girls in Marshallton, Delaware. This house is still standing today and remains a visible reminder of the institution’s legacy.

Another featured work is  The Negro in Delaware: Past and Present by Pauline A. Young. Young traces the history of Black education in the state, including the School Code Fight, school segregation and the founding of Delaware State College, now Delaware State University. The publication also documents the history of the Dover Colored School, later known as Booker T. Washington School.

The Dover Colored School was renamed West Dover Elementary after segregation ended, and in 1998 was reverted back to Booker T. Washington Elementary to honor its historical roots.

The New Bright Future for Delaware Negroes is another pamphlet that explores the implementation of the new School Code and how it created a more equitable educational landscape for African American communities.

In addition to the material included in Black Delaware History collections, Digital Collections and Preservation has digitized additional related collections, including:

• Iron Hill :Museum Oral History
• New London Road Oral History
• Baltimore Collection
• Black Portrait Photographs
• Littleton and Jane Mitchell Papers
• Friends of School Hill
• Pauline A. Young collection
• Alice Dunbar-Nelson papers
• Desegregation of Delaware collection 

In addition to Black Delaware History collections, we invite you to view the exhibition Lifting As We Climb: Churches, Schools, and the Formation of Delaware’s Free Black Communities, on display in the Information Room in Morris Library through August 7.