This is School1, a microsite dedicated to the historic research on the Male and Female Colored Grammar and High School No.1 at the Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture. From 1878-1889, the Peale was part of the new public school system being developed in Baltimore to provide free education to African Americans in the city. Known as “Male and Female Colored School Number 1,” the building was the site of one of the first grammar schools in Baltimore’s Colored School system, and the first High School available to people of color in the State of Maryland.
Illustration-The Peale Building ca.1877, Baltimore City Life Museums Photo Collection, Maryland Historical Society.
Through the microsite, we will also be examining late 19th century (and early 21st century) experiences of African-American education in Baltimore City and the surrounding counties. The process of connecting the history of the Colored School system in Baltimore with contemporary students’ education experiences will:
Understanding the historic context from which Baltimore’s schools have been formed has never had greater urgency and importance for the Baltimore community. Up until now, the story of the ‘colored’ school system and education in Baltimore has never been comprehensively researched and presented in a way that invites public engagement.The research and online publication of groundbreaking scholarship in to this formative part of Baltimore history will hopefully make a transformative contribution to changing the narrative about the City.
- engage a large number of young people,their peers, teachers, and families in learning about this seminal moment in Baltimore history;
- ensure that the story of education for African Americans in Baltimore is presented in a way that is relevant to today’s audiences,and in particular young people and families.
We intend for School1 to serve as a resource for educators, parents, students, researchers and scholars alike. We are interested in hearing from those interested in education advocacy, African American history, social justice issues, and Baltimore City Public School alumni who went to school in a time when the school system was segregated. In addition to your feedback on the early history and contemporary efforts to educate African-American students in Baltimore, we also invite you to record your own stories through the ‘Be Here: Baltimore App’, located on our ‘Contact/Get Involved’ page.
We also intend for School1 to serve as a ‘living document’ where the updated content continues to build on the research that provides the foundation for the site. The answers to the research questions posed about Male and Female Colored Grammar and High School No.1 and the public engagement from this microsite will contribute to the development of a permanent exhibition about the Colored School system in Baltimore City and educational systems for African-Americans in early Baltimore, completed in 2020 at the Peale Center. It is our hope that visiting and sharing information on the microsite will allow you to personalize and deepen your perceptions of African American education in early and contemporary Baltimore.
Tonika D. Berkley, Research Coordinator and Curator, The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture
Dr. Nancy Proctor, Executive Director, The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture
“This Project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.”