Northwest Fork Hundred in Bridgeville in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Phillis Wheatley School
Photographed by Pete Skillman, March 17, 2022
1. Phillis Wheatley School Marker
Inscription.
Phillis Wheatley School. . The inadequate condition of schools throughout the nation resulted in a major effort to reform public education following World War I. Delaware was at the forefront of this movement. With the assistance of the Delaware Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont, a program to replace outdated schools was undertaken. Noting the poor nature of facilities provided for African-American students enrolled in the state's segregated schools, the Association made them their first priority. In 1921 they initiated the construction of a modern building at this location to accommodate students from Bridgeville and the surrounding community. Known for a time the Bridgeville Colored School, the facility was subsequently named for Phillis Wheatley (c1753-1784), the nation's first published African-American poet. In addition to serving the needs of the area's elementary and middle school students, the building was a center for community activities. The school was integrated in 1966 and converted for use as North Bridgeville Elementary. It later served as the Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center. Following extensive renovation and expansion, this historic structure was reopened as the Phillis Wheatley Middle School in 2004.
The inadequate condition of schools throughout the nation resulted in a major effort to reform public education following World War I. Delaware was at the forefront of this movement. With the assistance of the Delaware Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont, a program to replace outdated schools was undertaken. Noting the poor nature of facilities provided for African-American students enrolled in the state's segregated schools, the Association made them their first priority. In 1921 they initiated the construction of a modern building at this location to accommodate students from Bridgeville and the surrounding community. Known for a time the Bridgeville Colored School, the facility was subsequently named for Phillis Wheatley (c1753-1784), the
nation's first published African-American poet. In addition to serving the needs of the area's elementary and middle school students, the building was a center for community activities. The school was integrated in 1966 and converted for use as North Bridgeville Elementary. It later served as the Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center. Following
extensive
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renovation and expansion, this historic structure was reopened as the Phillis Wheatley Middle School in 2004.
Erected 2004 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number SC-179.)
Location. 38° 45.078′ N, 75° 36.136′ W. Marker is in Bridgeville, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Northwest Fork Hundred. It can be reached from the intersection of Church Street and 1st Street, on the left when traveling south. Marker is attached to the building, immediately to the left of the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 48 Church Street, Bridgeville DE 19933, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself
Photographed by Pete Skillman, March 17, 2022
2. The Modern Phillis Wheatley School
The marker plaque is visible to the left of the main entrance.
in what was once New Netherland, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, and the Antebellum South.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Sudler House (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2022, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 727 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 17, 2022, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
