Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children

Last updated

Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children
WITHERSPOON STREET SCHOOL FOR COLORED CHILDREN; PRINCETON, MERCER COUNTY.jpg
The Quarry Street building of the Witherspoon School, now apartments
Location map of Mercer County, New Jersey.svg
Red pog.svg
USA New Jersey location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location35 Quarry Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08542
Coordinates 40°21′11.3″N74°39′46.6″W / 40.353139°N 74.662944°W / 40.353139; -74.662944
Built1858 (184 Witherspoon)
1909 (35 Quarry Street)
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No. 05000125 [1]
NJRHP No.4390 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 9, 2005
Designated NJRHPJanuary 6, 2005

The Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children educated the African-American children of Princeton, New Jersey from 1858 until the Princeton Public Schools were integrated in 1948. The school was originally located at the building still standing at 184 Witherspoon Street. As enrollment increased it moved, in 1909, to 35 Quarry Street. The Quarry Street building was expanded in 1939 and again in 1966, giving it its present appearance. The former school has since been turned into an apartment building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 9, 2005, for its significance in education. [3]

Contents

History and description

The school is built with brick and features Colonial Revival architecture. An ornate cupola is centered on the roof. [3] In 1948 the Journal of Negro Education wrote that the Witherspoon Street School had empty spaces while the school for white children was overcrowded. [4]

The 1908 champion YMCA team on the steps of the Witherspoon Street School Witherspoon Street School 1908.jpg
The 1908 champion YMCA team on the steps of the Witherspoon Street School

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton, New Jersey</span> Borough in New Jersey, United States

Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of which are now defunct. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 30,681, an increase of 2,109 (+7.4%) from the 2010 census combined count of 28,572. In the 2000 census, the two communities had a total population of 30,230, with 14,203 residents in the borough and 16,027 in the township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Township, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Mercer County, New Jersey, US

Princeton Township was a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that existed from 1838 until the end of 2012. On January 1, 2013, it merged with the Borough of Princeton to form Princeton, New Jersey; both Princeton Township and the Borough of Princeton were dissolved in the merger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Public Schools</span> School district in Mercer County, New Jersey, US

Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Princeton, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Students from Cranbury Township attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The district administration building is at 25 Valley Road in Princeton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morven (Princeton, New Jersey)</span> United States historic place

Morven, known officially as Morven Museum & Garden, is a historic 18th-century house at 55 Stockton Street in Princeton, New Jersey. It served as the governor's mansion for nearly four decades in the 20th century, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark for its association with Richard Stockton (1730-1781), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Einstein House</span> United States historic place

The Albert Einstein House at 112 Mercer Street in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, was the home of Albert Einstein from 1935 until his death in 1955. His second wife, Elsa Einstein, died in 1936 while living in this house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Henry House</span> United States historic place

The Joseph Henry House is a historic building located on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Joseph Henry, a prominent American physicist who worked in electromagnetics, designed the house in 1836 and lived there from its completion in 1838 until taking a position as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1848. The construction of the house was offered to the young physicist as part of the University's attempt to hire him away from the Albany Academy in an attempt to raise Princeton's profile. After Henry's departure, the house served as the official housing of the Dean of the College, the University's senior undergraduate academic officer, from 1909 to 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Battlefield</span> United States historic place

The Princeton Battlefield in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, is where American and British troops fought each other on January 3, 1777, in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolutionary War. The battle ended when the British soldiers in Nassau Hall surrendered. This success, following those at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, and the Battle of the Assunpink Creek the day before, helped improve American morale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect House (Princeton, New Jersey)</span> United States historic place

Prospect House, known also as just Prospect, is a historic house on the Princeton University campus in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Built in 1851, it is a fine example of the work of architect John Notman who helped popularize Italianate architecture in America. Notable residents include Woodrow Wilson during his tenure as president of the university. The building now serves as a faculty club. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for its architecture and historic associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President's House (Princeton University)</span> United States historic place

The President's House, also known as the John Maclean House, or simply the Maclean House, in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, was built to serve as the home of the President of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. It was completed in 1756, the same year as Nassau Hall. United States Founding Father John Witherspoon lived here from 1768 through 1779, during which time he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. George Washington occupied Maclean House in January 1777, during the Battle of Princeton and in 1783 while Congress met in Nassau Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey</span>

List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Township Historic District</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Lawrence Township Historic District is a 550-acre (220 ha) historic district encompassing the community of Lawrenceville in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1972 for its significance in architecture, landscape architecture, literature, military history, and transportation. The district includes 45 contributing buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglass House (Trenton, New Jersey)</span> Historic house in New Jersey, United States

The Douglass House is a historic house currently located at the corner of Front and Montgomery Streets in the Mill Hill neighborhood of the city Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey. It served as George Washington's headquarters prior to the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. Listed as the Bright–Douglass House, it was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936, when the house was located in Mahlon Stacy Park near the Delaware River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1970, for its significance in architecture, military and social history. It was added as a contributing property to the Mill Hill Historic District on December 12, 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellevue Avenue Colored School</span> United States historic place

Bellevue Avenue Colored School is located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The building was built in 1883 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

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

Higbee Street School is located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The building was built in 1857 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Historic District (Princeton, New Jersey)</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Princeton Historic District is a 370-acre (150 ha) historic district located in Princeton, New Jersey that was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It stretches from Marquand Park in the west to the Eating Clubs in the East, from the Princeton Cemetery in the north to the Graduate College in the south. The district encompasses the core parts of the campuses of the Princeton Theological Seminary and Princeton University. It also includes the business district centered on Nassau Street and many historic homes, both mansions in the western section and more humble dwellings in the Witherspoon/Jackson neighborhood. Notable churches within the district include Nassau Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal, Nassau Christian Center, and the Princeton University Chapel. The district is home to seven of Princeton's nine, and New Jersey's fifty-eight, National Historic Landmarks, the largest concentration of such sites in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Mill Historic District</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Kingston Mill Historic District is a 49-acre (20 ha) historic district in Kingston, New Jersey. It is roughly bounded by the Millstone, River, and Princeton-Kingston Roads in the townships of Princeton in Mercer County, South Brunswick in Middlesex County, and Franklin in Somerset County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1986 for its significance in engineering, exploration/settlement, industry, and transportation. The district includes 16 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Ice Company</span> United States historic place

The Princeton Ice Company built a dam in 1884 on former farmland so as to allow for the production of ice for sale to residents and businesses in Princeton, New Jersey. This company was the primary supplier of ice to the town during the era of the frozen water trade before the advent of artificial refrigeration. In 1902 a second dam was added so as to increase ice production capacity. The company dissolved itself in 1929, after technological change rendered the ice trade obsolete. The nearly 77 acres (31 ha) site has gone undisturbed in the decades since, apart from the 1958 addition of a colonial revival home designed by noted local architect, Rolf Bauhan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusculum (Princeton, New Jersey)</span> United States historic place

Tusculum is a country estate on Cherry Hill Road in Princeton, New Jersey, built in 1773 for John Witherspoon, president of Princeton University and signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is named after the Roman town of Tusculum, which was home to the country villa of Marcus Tullius Cicero. In 1793, the property was made available for purchase as a result of John Witherspoon's declining age, and was sought after by many refugees. The property was often visited by George Washington and his wife, Martha, during Witherspoon's tenure as president of Princeton University. In 2013 the home was sold for $5.5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Avenue Historic District</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Mountain Avenue Historic District is a stretch of historic houses on Mountain Avenue in Princeton, New Jersey that date to the 19th and early 20th centuries. The 9-acre (3.6 ha) historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 1995, for its significance in architecture and community planning. It includes 14 contributing buildings, and encompasses the north side of the road between the west side of the Mountain Lakes Preserve and Quarry Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carver Center (Trenton, New Jersey)</span> United States historic place

The Carver Center, formerly known as the Sunlight Elks Lodge, is a historic Colonial Revival style brick building located at 40 Fowler Street in the City of Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey. It was named after George Washington Carver, African-American agricultural scientist and inventor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 2022, for its significance in ethnic heritage.

References

  1. "National Register Information System  (#05000125)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. June 22, 2023. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 Carmelich, Julie P. (September 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children". National Park Service. With accompanying 23 photos
  4. Jensen, Noma (Winter 1948). "A Survey of Segregation Practices in the New Jersey School System". The Journal of Negro Education . 17 (1). Journal of Negro Education: 84–88. JSTOR   2966093. - CITED: p. 86.