Located off of Route 9 on Buttonwood Avenue in New Castle, the Buttonwood Colored School first opened in 1919 during the nation’s period of segregation to serve the needs of “colored” students growing up in the historically Black suburban neighborhood. The neighborhood got its name from the adjacent estate, Buttonwood Plantation, built by James Booth, Sr. in the early 1800s. Booth, a prominent statesman, and judge, played a critical role in the abolition of slavery. The first teacher at the school was James Coulborne. In 1926 a new one-room schoolhouse was built for students in grades 1-8 on land obtained from the Lukens Steel Company. Funding for construction was provided by P.S. DuPont and the Delaware School Auxiliary Association. Sylvester Woolford became the second instructor for all of the students in 1934. He was dearly loved by his students and made certain they got the best education possible under the circumstances. An additional classroom was added in 1938. When integration began in 1955, the school closed in 1957. It has since been refurbished and is now open as a public museum and community center. Learn more at https://www.buttonwoodschool.org/ #BlackHistoryMonth2021 #EquityCSD #powerofwecsd
WE Discuss: Segregated Schools- a Former Lawmaker’s Perspective
J.J Johnson has lived in the Colonial School district for more than 40 years and spent 14 of those years as a State Representative in the Delaware General Assembly. Johnson took a keen interest in the education of Colonial school children, in part because of his own...
WE Celebrate – David May
David LaFrance May Sr. was born in New Castle, Delaware on December 23, 1943, and was raised in Old New Castle. May excelled in sports at an early age and became a standout athlete while a student at William Penn High School (WPHS). May played baseball, football, and...
WE Celebrate: Jane Mitchell
Jane Mitchell, a resident of Delaware City, was the first African-American to work as a registered nurse in a Delaware hospital. After breaking that color line in 1948 at the Gov. Bacon Health Clinic in Delaware City, Mitchell worked at the Delaware Psychiatric...