Bloomingdale in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Separate Schools
Worthy Ambition
— LeDroit Park/Bloomingdale Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 23, 2017
The Nathaniel Gage School for white children opened here in 1904, when Washington's public school system was segregated. By the 1930s, even though LeDroit Park was an African American neighborhood, Gage remained white only. "I had to walk by the white elementary school to get to the black Lucretia Mott elementary school at Fourth and W," explained Louise Anderson Young, who grew up at 137 T Street. Young went on to teach at Mott for 18 years. Her students included "children of the people who taught at [Howard] University" and resident of public housing next door to the school. Like many urban schools, Mott remained nearly 100 percent African American long after the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in 1954.
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., who was named the U.S. Army's first African American general in 1940, attended Mott in the 1880s. As a young boy growing up at 381 W Street, Davis cared for two family cows kept on open land between his house and Howard University. He and friends hunted rabbits and squirrels on the Soldier's Home grounds north of the university.
The Mott School closed in 1977 and was replaced with a parking lot. Desegregated in 1954, the Gage School also closed in the 1970s. Like many of DC's historic school buildings, it has been converted into condominiums.
St. George's Episcopal Church, now at Second and U Street, was organized in 1930 to serve longtime residents as well as refugees from the gentrification and urban renewal of Georgetown and Tenleytown. Father Adolphus A. Birch, who led the church until 1966, is remembered for his warmth and easy manner. "He made me want to come to church," recalled Carolyn Giles Smith, who grew up nearby. The current church building opened in 1969.
Erected 2015 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 7.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the LeDroit Park/Bloomingdale Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 38° 55.062′ N, 77° 0.87′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Bloomingdale. Marker is on 2nd Street Northwest near Elm Street Northwest, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 V Street Northwest, Washington DC 20001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Government Girls (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Anna Julia Hayward Cooper Residence (about 600 feet away); DC and the Development of the International Bear Brotherhood Flag
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 23, 2017
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 22, 2020
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 983 times since then and 81 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on February 22, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 4, 2022, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on December 2, 2022, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.