San Domingo in Wicomico County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

School a source of pride for historic Black community

African-American History on the Shore

— San Domingo School —

School a source of pride for historic Black community Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 11, 2026

1. School a source of pride for historic Black community Marker

Inscription.
Once known as Sharptown Colored School, this building was a powerful source of pride for the community of San Domingo. The site was originally home ot a one-room schoohouse built in 1875 that served as the education hub for the historically Black community. In 1919, there was an opportunity to construct a larger school building through the pioneering Julius Rosenwald Fund. Local residents contributed land, timber, and labor to build the new school, while Wicomico County and the Rosenwald fund provided the funding. Local children were educated in the two-story building, which had space for three teachers, until 1957. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building was restored in 2014 and is now the site of community gatherings.

Free Blacks built the community long before the Civil War
The school's community of San Domingo dates back to 1820 and is thought to be the oldest community of free Blacks in Maryland. The unincorporated yet vibrant community once had a population of more than 600.

Rosenwald Schools are 'national treasures'
Booker T. Washington, a former slave, and Julius Rosenwald, president

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of Sears, Roebuck & Co., teamed up to create a fund to stimulate the construction of schools for Black students in the early 1900s, when such schools were underfunded. San Domingo School was one of about 150 Rosenwald schools in Maryland and one of more than 5,000 across 15 states. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has classified the schools as "National Treasures."

Erected by Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.

Location. 38° 30.669′ N, 75° 43.345′ W. Marker is in San Domingo, Maryland, in Wicomico County. It is on Old School Road (County Road 492) 0.2 miles north of San Domingo Road (County Road 492), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11526 Old School Rd, Mardela Springs MD 21837, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

San Domingo School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 11, 2026

2. San Domingo School

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

in the Tidewater,

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 one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: San Domingo Maryland (approx. 0.3 miles away); San Domingo School (approx. 1.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2 miles away); Sharptown War Memorial (approx. 2.1 miles away); Sharptown Shipyard (approx. 2.3 miles away); Chesapeake Bay Restoration in Progress (approx. 2.3 miles away); Native Americans (approx. 3.8 miles away); The Springs at Barren Creek… (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Domingo.

Another marker is no longer nearby. San Domingo School Community & Cultural Center (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.