U Street Corridor in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Frelinghuysen University / Jesse Lawson and Rosetta C. Lawson
1800 Vermont Avenue, NW
— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 8, 2011
1. Frelinghuysen University/Jesse Lawson and Rosetta C. Lawson Marker
Frelinghuysen University was founded in 1917 to provide education, religious training, and social services for black working-class adults. Founders include Jesse Lawson, a Howard University-educated lawyer; his wife Rosetta C. Lawson, an advocate for temperance and low-income housing; and Howard sociologist Kelly Miller. The school's name honored U.S. Senator Frederick T. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, a civil rights activist during Reconstruction (1865-1877).
After starting out in private homes and businesses, the school bought this house in 1921 and held classes here until 1927. Anna J. Cooper ran its successor, the Frelinghuysen Group of Schools for Colored Working People, from 1940 until it closed in the late 1950s.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Government & Politics • Women. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.
Location. 38° 54.895′ N, 77° 1.608′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in U Street Corridor.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Washington Afro-American Newspaper Office Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Howard University Sets the Standard (about 400 feet away); A Home Away From Home (about 400 feet away); Evans-Tibbs House (about 400 feet away); Louise Burrell Miller Residence (about 500 feet away); Daniel A.P. Murray Residence (about 500 feet away); African American Civil War Memorial (about 600 feet away); New Negro Alliance's Sanitary Grocery Protest Site (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
More about this marker.
[Caption:]
Frelinghuysen law graduates, 1917
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian Institution
Also see . . . Kelly Miller (sociologist) in "Mathematicians of the African Diaspora". ... Johns Hopkins University had recently become the first American school to offer graduate work in mathematics. As Miller was to be the first African American student admitted to the university,
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 15, 2021
2. Frelinghuysen University / Jesse Lawson and Rosetta C. Lawson Marker
The house that is the subject of the marker is immediately behind the marker.
Additional keywords. National Register of Historic Places
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 15, 2021
3. National Register of Historic Places plaque on the building
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,138 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 16, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 2, 3. submitted on May 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
