Annapolis Commemorates Camp Parole Rosenwald School With Dedication And Historic Marker

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – During the time of segregation in public education in America, Julius Rosenwald, the owner of Sears Roebuck, worked with educator and author Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute to build state-of-the-art schools for African-American children across the American South. The “Rosenwald Schools” initiative was critical to advancing public education for African American youth in the early part of the 20th Century. 

In Anne Arundel County, records indicate there were 20 Rosenwald Schools, including those in the City of Annapolis. To honor one of the Annapolis locations, the Camp Parole Rosenwald School (at the intersection of Hicks Avenue and Dorsey Avenue), Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley, Parole Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, elected officials, and members of the community unveiled a historical marker and the site.  The sign sits at the front of the property, now private residences. 

The 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education integrated public education. Practically overnight, Rosenwald Schools became obsolete. Of the 5,347 schools constructed between 1917 and 1932, only about 10 percent remain standing today. 

The thousands of Rosenwald Schools that were built across 15 southern states followed a prescribed architectural plan developed at Tuskegee Institute. The plan dictated the building site orientation (north- or south-facing to allow for all-day natural lighting), large windows, cream or eggshell paint on the walls to encourage learning, and a plain exterior that helped the schools avoid unwanted attention. The early schools were one-room buildings, while schools constructed in the latter part of the program had two rooms with a removable partition.

In some areas of Anne Arundel County, former Rosenwald Schools have been converted to Head Start sites (Shady Side) and community centers (Ralph Bunche Community Center and Galesville Community Center), among others.