South Gate in Severn in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Queenstown Rosenwald School

National Historic Place

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 6, 2024

1. Queenstown Rosenwald School Marker

Inscription. Built in 1932 on land provided by Sarah and Oscar Gaither, this three-room school, rare for the area, was the last Rosenwald school built in this county. After school consolidation, the building housed the Sunnyside School and later the Quarterfield Elementary School Annex. It is now the home of the Severn Improvement Association.

Erected 2007 by Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the Rosenwald Schools series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1932.

Location. 39° 8.672′ N, 76° 39.138′ W. Marker is in Severn, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It is in South Gate. It is on Queenstown Road 0.1 miles south of Kearneys Lane, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 430 Queenstown Rd, Severn MD 21144, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Maryland’s Baltimore Metro Region.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic.

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 one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: W B & A Electric Railroad (approx. 1.3 miles away); BWI Marshall (approx. 1.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); St. Alban's Episcopal Church

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(approx. 1.8 miles away); World War 1917 (approx. 1.9 miles away); Recreation Acres (approx. 1.9 miles away); Defending the Chesapeake Bay (approx. 1.9 miles away); To All Who Served (approx. 1.9 miles away).

Also see . . . Queenstown Rosenwald School - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.

Built in 1932, the Queenstown Rosenwald School is significant as an example of a Rosenwald School, and as such is affiliated with what is considered the most important advance in African American education in the southern states prior to desegregation. These schools were constructed with financial and technical assistance provided by the Julius Rosenwald Fund; a private foundation named for the Chicago entrepreneur who directed the booming growth of Sears, Roebuck & Company in the early 20th century. Between 1917 and 1932 the Julius Rosenwald Fund assisted in the construction of 5,357 schools for Afiican-American in the rural south. These Schools were built according to plans provided or approved by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Plans were cost-efficient and easy to construct, yet remarkably emphasized health and safety concerns and embodied the latest ideas in educational building design. Two hundred-and-ninety-two
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 8, 2025

2. Queenstown Rosenwald School
Marker is in the stone at the bottom right.
Rosenwald Schools were built in Maryland, 24 of which were erected in Anne Arundel County. Queenstown is one of 10 Rosenwald Schools surviving in Anne Arundel County (1). In 2000 it was restored in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

(Submitted on May 9, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)

Anne Arundel County signage on the roadway image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 8, 2025

3. Anne Arundel County signage on the roadway

Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 440 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 6, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2, 3. submitted on May 8, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.