Bell School (Washington D.C.) Explained

Bell School, established in 1807, was the first school for African Americans in Washington, DC.^{[1] [2] [3]} It was located near Providence Hospital. The school was founded by three formerly enslaved men: George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool.

Founding

George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool worked as caulkers at the Washington Navy Yard. The three men, who were formerly enslaved, co-founded and built a one-story school house.^[4] Their school, the Bell School, was located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.^[5] The original Bell School closed after few years due to a lack of funding. The school is considered to be Washington D.C.'s first school for African Americans.

Bell co-founded the Resolute Beneficial Society, a society that supported health, education, and burial needs of Washington D.C.'s Black community.^[6] The society successfully re-opened the Bell School in 1818.

Notes and References

1. Preston. Emmett D.. 1943. The Development of Negro Education in the District of Columbia, 1800-1860. The Journal of Negro Education. 12. 2. 189–198. 10.2307/2292971. 0022-2984.
2. Web site: Bell School Site, African American Heritage Trail.
3. Web site: The Early Years. 2022-01-25. www.mwphgldc.com.
4. Book: Jacobs, Sylvia M.. Encyclopedia of African-American Education. 1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-28931-6. en.
5. Web site: Bell School Site, African American Heritage Trail - www.culturaltourism.org. 2022-01-21. www.culturaltourismdc.org.
6. Web site: Masonic History, The Early Years. 2022-02-01. www.mwphgldc.com.