Normal School for Colored Girls

Last updated
Miner Normal School
Miner Teachers College - Washington, D.C..jpg
Miner Normal School in 2008
Location map Washington DC Cleveland Park to Southwest Waterfront.png
Red pog.svg
Location2565 Georgia Ave., NW., Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°55′24″N77°1′21″W / 38.92333°N 77.02250°W / 38.92333; -77.02250
Built1913
Architect Leon E. Dessez; Snowden Ashford
Architectural style Colonial Revival,
Georgian Revival
NRHP reference No. 91001490 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 11, 1991

Normal School for Colored Girls (now known as University of the District of Columbia) established in Washington, D.C., in 1851 as an institution of learning and training for young African-American women, especially to train teachers. [2] [3]

Contents

As Miner Normal School, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

19th century

The school was founded by Myrtilla Miner in 1851, with the encouragement from Henry Ward Beecher and funding from a Quaker philanthropist after the school in Mississippi where she taught refused her permission to conduct classes for African-American girls. [3] While inappropriate today, the use of the term "colored" was considered polite in 19th-century speech.

Although the school offered primary schooling and classes in domestic skills, its emphasis from the outset was on training teachers. Miner stressed hygiene and nature study in addition to rigorous academic training. [3]

Within two months of opening, school enrollment grew from 6 to 40. Despite hostility from a portion of the community, the school prospered with the help of continued contributions from Quakers and a gift from Harriet Beecher Stowe (sister of Beecher) of $1,000 of the royalties she earned from Uncle Tom's Cabin . [3]

As it grew, the school was forced to move three times in its first two years, but in 1854, it settled on a 3-acre (1.2-hectare) lot with a house and barn on the city's edge. Around this time, Emily Edmonson enrolled in the school. To help protect the school and those involved with it, the Edmonson family took up residence on the grounds, and both Emily Edmonson and Myrtilla Miner learned to shoot. [3] [4]

First graders from Miner Normal School, ca. 1910 Children from Miner Normal School.jpg
First graders from Miner Normal School, ca. 1910

In 1856, the school came under the care of a board of trustees, among whom were Beecher and wealthy Quaker Johns Hopkins. By 1858, six former students were teaching in schools of their own. By that time, her failing health had lessened Miner's connection with the school, and from 1857 Emily Howland was in charge. [3]

Myrtilla Miner, founder of Normal School for Colored Girls Myrtilla Miner.jpg
Myrtilla Miner, founder of Normal School for Colored Girls

In 1860, the school had to be closed, and the next year, Myrtilla Miner went to California to regain her health. A carriage accident in 1864 ended that hope, and Miner died shortly after her return to Washington, D.C. [3]

During the American Civil War, on March 3, 1863, the United States Senate granted the school a charter as the "Institution for the Education of Colored Youth" and named Henry Addison, John C. Underwood, George C. Abbott, William H. Channing, Nancy M. Johnson, and Myrtella Miner as directors. [5]

From 1871 to 1876, the school was associated with Howard University. In 1879, as Miner Normal School it became part of the District of Columbia public school system.

20th century

In 1929 an act of the U.S. Congress accredited it as Miner Teachers College. [2] [3] [6] [7] Miner Teachers College and its predecessors were instrumental in the development of the black school system in the district between the 1890s and the 1950s and held a virtual monopoly on teaching jobs in black schools during that period. Many graduates found jobs in black school districts in other parts of the country, expanding the influence of the Miner school outside the district. [7]

In 1955, the school merged with Wilson Teachers College to form the District of Columbia Teachers College. In 1976, after additional incorporations, the school was renamed University of the District of Columbia. [2] [6]

Building

The current Colonial RevivalGeorgian Revival style building, built in 1913, was designed by Leon E. Dessez and Snowden Ashford. [1] The building is used for a broad range of community education programs, in addition to the teacher-training classes, which have been continuously offered there since it opened in 1914. [7]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. [1] In 2009, Howard University received an $800,000 grant from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund to replace the building's roof and windows, as well as initiate a renovation on the building's auditorium. [8] In 2023, Howard announced that the building will go under further renovation, with the plan to share the space between the Howard University School of Education and the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. [9]

Notable people

Students

Faculty and staff

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johns Hopkins</span> American entrepreneur and philanthropist (1795–1873)

Johns Hopkins was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for most of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Howland</span>

Emily Howland was a philanthropist and educator. She supported the education of African-Americans. She was also a strong supporter of women's rights and the temperance movement. Howland personally financed the education of many black students and contributed to institutions such as the Tuskegee Institute, Henry Damon Davidson's Centerville Industrial Institute, and Kowaliga Institute in Kowaliga, Alabama where Howland Hall was named for her.

<i>Pearl</i> incident 1848 slave escape attempt

The Pearl incident was the largest recorded nonviolent escape attempt by enslaved people in United States history. On April 15, 1848, seventy-seven slaves attempted to escape Washington D.C. by sailing away on a schooner called The Pearl. Their plan was to sail south on the Potomac River, then north up the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River to the free state of New Jersey, a distance of nearly 225 miles (362 km). The attempt was organized by both abolitionist whites and free blacks, who expanded the plan to include many more enslaved people. Paul Jennings, a former slave who had served President James Madison, helped plan the escape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the District of Columbia</span> Public university in Washington, D.C.

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The full university system offers workforce and certificate programs in addition to Associate, Baccalaureate, Master's, professional, and Doctoral degrees. The university's academic schools and programs include the UDC Community College, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Business and Public Administration, Colleges of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & Environmental Sciences, and David A. Clarke School of Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Henderson</span> American educator and activist (1883–1977)

Edwin Bancroft Henderson, was an American educator and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) pioneer. The "Father of Black Basketball", introduced basketball to African Americans in Washington, D.C., in 1904, and was Washington's first male African American physical education teacher. From 1926 until his retirement in 1954, Henderson served as director of health and physical education for Washington, D.C.'s black schools. An athlete and team player rather than a star, Henderson both taught physical education to African Americans and organized athletic activities in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax County, Virginia, where his grandmother lived and where he returned with his wife in 1910 to raise their family. A prolific letter writer both to newspapers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and Alabama, Henderson also helped organize the Fairfax County branch of the NAACP and twice served as President of the Virginia NAACP in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtilla Miner</span> American educator and abolitionist

Myrtilla Miner was an American educator and abolitionist whose school for African-American girls, established against considerable racist opposition, grew into the University of the District of Columbia,the only public university in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonson sisters</span> 19th-century African-American abolitionists

Mary Edmonson (1832–1853) and Emily Edmonson, "two respectable young women of light complexion", were African Americans who became celebrities in the United States abolitionist movement after gaining their freedom from slavery. On April 15, 1848, they were among the 77 slaves who tried to escape from Washington, D.C. on the schooner The Pearl to sail up the Chesapeake Bay to freedom in New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Diggs Slowe</span> American educator and athlete

Lucy Diggs Slowe was an American educator and athlete, and the first Black woman to serve as Dean of Women at any American university. She was a founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Sumner School</span> United States historic place

The Charles Sumner School, established in 1872, was one of the earliest schools for African Americans in Washington, D.C. Named for the prominent abolitionist and United States Senator Charles Sumner, the school became the first teachers' college for black citizens in the city and the headquarters of its segregated school system for African American students. It currently houses a small museum, a research room, art exhibits, and the archives of the District of Columbia Public Schools.

The University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) is an open-enrollment, public community college located in Washington, D.C. It operates the associate degree, Certificate, Continuing Education and Workforce Development programs that are offered by the University of the District of Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris–Stowe State University</span> Historically black public university in St. Louis, Missouri


Harris–Stowe State University (HSSU) is a public university. It is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is an HBCU, a historically Black university. The university offers 50 majors, minors, and certificate programs in education, business, and arts & sciences. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is immediately east of the Saint Louis University campus. The school enrolled 1,098 students in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite Williams</span> American geologist

Marguerite Thomas Williams was an American geologist. She was the first African American to earn a doctorate in geology in the United States and dedicated most of her career to teaching geography and social sciences. Williams is a pioneer among geoscientists in recognizing how human activity and landscape management impact erosional processes and the risks of natural flooding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Ella Moten</span> American educator and doctor (1851–1933)

Lucy Ella Moten was an American educator and medical doctor. A principal of The Miner School (now known as University of the District of Columbia from 1883 to 1920, she was responsible for training many of the teachers in Washington, D.C. African-American schools during that period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma V. Brown</span> American educator and activist (1843–1902)

Emma V. Brown was an American educator and activist for racial equality. In 1864, she became the head teacher at Lincoln School, the first public school established in Washington, D.C. for the education of black students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delilah Pierce</span> African American painter

Delilah Williams Pierce was an African American artist, curator and educator based in Washington, District of Columbia. Pierce is best known for abstract paintings depicting the natural world. Her work also includes portraiture, landscapes, and still lifes.

Martha Bailey Briggs was an American educator who was born and educated in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where she taught formerly enslaved men and women to read and write. In 1869, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she taught and served as a principal at Anthony Bowen Elementary School until 1873, when she began work at Howard University. At Howard, she trained teachers and taught math. In 1879, she was hired to serve as principal of the Miner Normal School. She stepped down from Miner Normal in 1883 and returned to Howard, where she served as principal of the Howard Normal Department until her death in 1889.

Carrie H. Thomas was an African-American physician and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simmons Colored School</span> Black school in St. Louis, Missouri, US

Simmons Colored School is a historic building and a former African American school in The Ville neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.. It served as a historically segregated African American elementary school and middle school from 1898 until 1930. The building served as the Stowe Teachers College campus, an African American normal school and junior college from 1930 until 1940. The building has played an important role in The Ville community since its inception. The school was also known as Elleardsville School for Colored Children No. 8, Colored School #8, Simmons Middle School, and Simmons School.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "University of the District of Columbia". Peterson's. 2002. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Myrtilla Miner". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
  4. http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfwtmpl.asp?url=/Content/CFW/MCWHProject/MCWHArchives/MCWomensHistoryEdmonson.asp Archived 2006-10-08 at the Wayback Machine Harriet Beecher Stowe, A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, (1852), John H. Paynter, Fugitives of the Pearl, Washington DC: Associated Publishers (1930) and Mary Kay Ricks, "A Passage to Freedom", Washington Post Magazine (February 17, 2002): 21-36
  5. congressional charter by S. 536
  6. 1 2 Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine History of the University of the District of Columbia
  7. 1 2 3 "Miner Normal School (Miner Building, Howard University) - Home of Miner Normal School and Miner Teachers College, centers for the training of Washington's African-American teachers for almost 80 years. | DC Historic Sites". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  8. McCann, Hannah (September 18, 2009). "20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Receive Stimulus Grants for Building Preservation". Architect Magazine.
  9. "Howard University Announces Historic Miner Building's Rebirth, Jumpstarts $785M Campus Master Plan". The Dig at Howard University. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  10. "Louise Daniel Hutchinson Interviews". Record Unit 9558. Smithsonian Institution Archives . Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  11. Smith, Jessie Carney; Phelps, Shirelle (1992). Notable Black American Women, Book 2. ISBN   9780810391772.