Georgetown Hundred in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Richard Allen School
Photographed by Pete Skillman, March 15, 2024
1. Richard Allen School Marker
Inscription.
Richard Allen School. . In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Delaware did not have a comprehensive state-wide education system. By 1915, Delaware schools were ranked among the poorest in the country. Worse yet, African American students often attended dilapidated schools under deplorable conditions. Seeing an opportunity to help all students in Delaware. Pierre S. du Pont used his wealth to invest in Delaware public education by breaking ground on 80 new schools throughout the state. This is the site of the Richard Allen School, an African American school that opened in the late 1920s replacing the school at nearby Prospect AME Church. The school was named after Richard Allen, a freed slave and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in the late 18th Century in Philadelphia. When the Richard Allen School opened, it became the focal point of the African American community in Georgetown and many events were hosted here. The school was used until desegregation was fully implemented in Delaware.
In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Delaware did not have a comprehensive state-wide education system. By 1915, Delaware schools were ranked among the poorest in the country. Worse yet, African American students often attended dilapidated schools under deplorable conditions. Seeing an opportunity to help all students in Delaware. Pierre S. du Pont used his wealth to invest in Delaware public education by breaking ground on 80 new schools throughout the state. This is the site of the Richard Allen School, an African American school that opened in the late 1920s replacing the school at nearby Prospect AME Church. The school was named after Richard Allen, a freed slave and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in the late 18th Century in Philadelphia. When the Richard Allen School opened, it became the focal point of the African American community in Georgetown and many events were hosted here. The school was used until desegregation was fully implemented in Delaware.
Erected by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number SC-249.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
Location. 38° 41.414′ N, 75° 22.579′ W. Marker is in Georgetown, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Georgetown Hundred. It is at the intersection of Airport Road and Stevenson Lane, on the right when traveling east on Airport Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 Airport Road, Georgetown DE 19947, 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 in what was once New Netherland, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Prospect A.M.E. Church (approx. Ό mile away);
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 614 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 15, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
