Claymont Stone School
Encyclopedia
The Claymont Stone School, also known as Naaman’s Creek School #1, is a historic schoolhouse
built in 1805 on land donated by John Dickinson
, located in Claymont, Delaware
on the Philadelphia Pike just south of the Darley House
. The school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990. Its official Delaware State Historic Markerindicates that the school "...may have been the first racially integrated
public school in the State."
The original building was renovated in 1905 and expanded to become a two room schoolhouse, serving the neighborhood of Claymont and the rural Naaman's Creek
area as a school until the 1924-25 school year when the Green Street School was built.
In 1928, the Stone School was converted to serve as a community center and public library until 1988, when it was deemed structurally unsound. It stood empty and the school district considered tearing it down until a group called Friends of the Claymont Stone School intervened to save the building, raising funds for its renovation and conversion into a museum and heritage center, completed in 2002.
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
built in 1805 on land donated by John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)
John Dickinson was an American lawyer and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of...
, located in Claymont, Delaware
Claymont, Delaware
Claymont is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 9,220 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on the Philadelphia Pike just south of the Darley House
Darley House
The Darley House, located in Claymont, Delaware along the Philadelphia Pike and Darley Road, is the former home of world-renowned illustrator Felix Octavius Carr Darley ....
. The school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990. Its official Delaware State Historic Markerindicates that the school "...may have been the first racially integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
public school in the State."
The original building was renovated in 1905 and expanded to become a two room schoolhouse, serving the neighborhood of Claymont and the rural Naaman's Creek
Naaman's Creek
Naamans Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in northeast New Castle County, Delaware and southeast Delaware County, Pennsylvania The stream rises near the intersection of Foulk Road and Naamans Creek Road at in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, flows through Arden, Delaware, and discharges...
area as a school until the 1924-25 school year when the Green Street School was built.
In 1928, the Stone School was converted to serve as a community center and public library until 1988, when it was deemed structurally unsound. It stood empty and the school district considered tearing it down until a group called Friends of the Claymont Stone School intervened to save the building, raising funds for its renovation and conversion into a museum and heritage center, completed in 2002.