Saint George's Hundred in Port Penn in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Port Penn Schoolhouse
Symbol of the Community
| | The Village of Port Penn | |
Eight grades of students attended classes in the two rooms of this school. The schoolhouse had a coal stove, outdoor privy and a well. Because of segregation, Port Penn's African-American children were educated in a separate school on Port Penn Road. After it closed in 1961, the building served for a time as a bait shop. In 1975, it reopened as the Port Penn Museum, a symbol of the community's history and way of life.
[Sidebar:]
State Stewardship: Linking People, Culture and Environment
After operating the museum for fifteen years, the Port Penn Area Historical Society transferred the schoolhouse museum to the Division of Parks and Recreation in 1991. It now serves as the cornerstone of the Delaware Folklife Program's mission to document and interpret Delaware's local culture. Port Penn's marshland and ways of life remain a focus of the Division's interpretive programs.
Erected by The Village of Port Penn. (Marker Number 1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1961.
Location. 39° 31.048′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Delaware’s Southern New Castle County, in Greater Wilmington and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and on the Delmarva Peninsula. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Cannery Lot (a few steps from this marker); Village of Port Penn (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Zacheis Cannery (within shouting distance of this marker); Canary-Naudine House & Store
Another marker is no longer nearby. Port Penn Schoolhouse (has been replaced with this marker).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker, which has slightly different content.
Also see . . . Port Penn Historic District - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
Intersection of Route 2 and Route 9 - c. 1886, 3-bay, 1-story frame school house. Currently the Port Penn Museum.(Submitted on April 24, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 5, 2021
4. National Register of Historic Places plaque for the schoolhouse
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 509 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on January 2, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
