Friends of School Hill oral histories and images

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0784

Staff Only

Content Description

Oral histories and images related to the School Hill community, collected at two events.

"Preserving the Past: Gathering History & Mementos of the New London Road / School Hill Community," was held on Saturday, May 20, 2017, and was sponsored by the Friends of School Hill, NAACP of Delaware, and the University of Delaware. It comprises two series: I. Administrative materials and II. Audiovisual materials and images. Additional documentation from the event, including the event sign-in sheet, completed release forms, and release and metadata forms for scanned images, are maintained in the collection folder housed in Special Collections.

"A Celebration for the New London Avenue School, One Hundred Years," was held on Sunday, March 6, 2022, and was also sponsored by the Friends of School Hill. It comprises one series (III.), which includes both images and ephemera.

Dates

Creation: May 2017, March 2022

Creator

University of Delaware (Organization)
Friends of School Hill (Organization)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Newark Delaware Branch (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Historical Information

The first documented public school for African-American youth in the Newark community was established in 1867 by the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. This was one of several schools established in Delaware during the post-Civil War "reconstruction" period through this federal government program, which was designed to assist African-Americans in states where slavery was legal before the Civil War.

In 1922 a new school housing grades 1-8 was built here on land purchased from John Nields. There were four classrooms on the first floor and a lunchroom in the basement. Funding for construction was provided by P. S. duPont and the Delaware School Auxiliary Association. The building functioned as a school until integration took place in 1958.

The school and surrounding property, also known as “School Hill”, was an important meeting place for neighborhood residents for social and recreational gatherings as well. In 1961, the City of Newark purchased the building and grounds. Significant renovations took place and the New London Community Center opened in 1970. In 1977, the building was renamed in honor of George M. Wilson, a leader in improving housing conditions for members of Newark’s African-American community and former member of Newark’s City Council.

Historical information derived from the collection.

Extent

.3 linear foot (1 box)

43.34 gigabyte

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral histories and images collected at the event, "Preserving the Past: Gathering History & Mementos of the New London Road / School Hill Community," Saturday, May 20, 2017 and images collected at the event, "A Celebration for the New London Avenue School, One Hundred Years," Sunday, March 6, 2022. Established in 1867 as the first documented public school for African-American youth in the Newark, Delaware, community, the school and its surrounding property were also an important social and recreational meeting place for neighborhood residents.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Produced by University of Delaware Library, 2017, 2022. Transfers from George Wilson Center, May 2017.

Materials Available in Alternative Format

Access streaming video, transcripts, and digital images by following the links in the finding aid. The digitized video files are available in Artstor Public Collections. Transcripts for most recordings can be accessed in the University of Delaware Institutional Repository.