Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Maudelle Bousefield

1885-1971

— Bronzeville Walk of Fame —

Maudelle Bousefield Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

1. Maudelle Bousefield Marker

Inscription.
1st Black principal Chicago Public Schools

Erected 1996 by City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Bronzeville Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 41° 50.623′ N, 87° 37.067′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on South Martin Luther King Drive 0.2 miles north of East 29th Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is near the entrance to the headquarters of IBEW Local 134. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2722 S Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Claude McKay (within shouting distance of this marker); Willard Motley / Archibald Motley, Jr. (within shouting distance of this marker); S.B. Fuller (within shouting distance of this marker); Anthony Overton (within shouting distance of this marker); Captain Walter Dyett (within shouting distance of this marker); Dempsey J. Travis (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Sumner Duke (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Al Benson (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Roughly 100 Bronzeville Walk of Fame markers are found around the neighborhood along Martin Luther King Drive between 25th and 35th Streets.

Regarding Maudelle Bousefield. Maudelle Bousfield (her name does not seem to have the first "e" seen on the plaque) was already the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Illinois when she was hired in 1927 to become Chicago's first principal, at Keith Elementary School. (The school was torn down in 1959 and its site is now part of the campus of the

Maudelle Bousefield Marker in front of IBEW Local 134 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

2. Maudelle Bousefield Marker in front of IBEW Local 134

Illinois Institute of Technology.) She later became the city's first Black high school principal when she was hired to lead Wendell Phillips High School. She retired in 1950.

Also see . . . Maudelle Brown Bousfield: The Courage to Be First. From the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana's College of Education.

Excerpt: "When mathematics teacher Maudelle Brown Bousfield told the Chicago Board of Education that she was going to sit for the principal’s exam in 1926, she recalls that they “laughed in her face.” But Maudelle came from a family that prized education as much as they did tenacity, so that didn’t deter her one bit. She sat for the exam and received one of the top scores, and with her appointment at Keith Elementary School in 1927, she became the first African American principal in the Chicago Public School System. She went on to become the first African American principal of a Chicago high school, Wendell Phillips in the South Side’s Bronzeville neighborhood, and served there until her retirement in 1950."

(Submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.