Racial segregation in schools, housing, shopping, sports, and
social life persisted in Maryland until well into the final third
of the 20th century. Dual public education systems for
white and black students lasted for nearly a century. Rockville
residents who vividly recall that period can still visit three
local schools constructed during segregated times.
Once Maryland slaves obtained their freedom in 1864, they wanted
their children educated. Just before the Civil War broke out,
Maryland had established a public school system for white
students. Black parents, who desired no less for their children,
successfully petitioned the Freedmen’s Bureau, demanding the
return of funds collected prior to the war. They organized as
trustees for the “Rockville Col’d School” and pledged to guarantee
a teacher’s board and washing as well as fuel and lights for a
schoolhouse for black students. By the late 1860s, this activism
likely resulted in a school for students through grade 7.
In 1876 – four years after the state established schools for black
students – the Montgomery County Board of Education purchased a
lot on the west side of Frederick Road (now North Washington
Street just above Beall Avenue) and constructed Rockville Colored
Elementary School. One room housed grades 1 through 7. Interest
in education soared, for just seven years later there was a new
two-room school, which was topped with a second story in 1891.
In 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson
confirmed the doctrine of “separate but equal” education. Black
students, teachers, and their families were only too aware that
separate was not equal. Despite pleas from parents, colored
schools always lagged behind in facilities, supplies, teacher pay,
and length of the school year. In 1936, William B. Gibbs of
Rockville Colored Elementary sued the School Board for equal pay.
The case was settled out of court, all teachers moving to the same
salary scale in 1938, but Mr. Gibbs lost his job.
After the old school burned and
students crowded into Jerusalem Church for a few years, a third
Rockville Colored Elementary School opened in 1921. On Washington
Street in the block where Magruder’s is now, it was close to
homes, businesses, and churches in Rockville’s in-town black
neighborhood.
Secondary
education was another issue. Although Montgomery County provided
high schools for whites, before 1927 black students went
elsewhere. Julius Rosenwald of Sears, Roebuck Co. matched local
funds for Rockville Colored High School. By 1935 the student
population outgrew the space adjacent to the elementary school,
and Lincoln High School opened that year. Students from
throughout the County arrived in Lincoln
Park by train, foot, car, and school bus to earn their high school
diplomas.
In the early 1950s, Montgomery
County constructed four consolidated elementary schools including
Rock Terrace, the successor to Rockville Colored Elementary
School. Carver High School and Junior College opened in 1951.
Three years later, Brown vs. Board of Education started Montgomery
County down the road to desegregation. Black students were moved
into white schools until 1961 when the process was complete. Rock
Terrace became a special education high school, Lincoln was used
for offices and storage, and Carver converted to administrative
offices for the School Board.
Graduation at Carver High School.
The Mayor and Council designated
Lincoln High School as a Rockville Historic District in 1990.
Carver gained Historic District status in 2002