Collins Park near New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Buttonwood School

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, January 18, 2016

1. Buttonwood School Marker

Inscription. In 1919 a school was established in the Buttonwood Methodist Church to serve the needs of “colored” students in the growing neighborhood. The first teacher was James Matthew Coulbourne. In 1926 a new one room school housing grades 1-8 was built here on land obtained from the Lukens Steel Company. Funding for construction was provided by P.S. DuPont and the Delaware School Auxiliary Association. Expanding enrollment resulted in the employment of a second instructor, Sylvester Woolford, in 1934. An additional classroom was added in 1938. Integration of local schools was initiated in 1955, and in 1957 the Buttonwood School was closed. The property was purchased by the Trustees of the New Castle Common in 1998, and conveyed to the Buttonwood Civic Association in 2002.

Erected 2007 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-174.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.

Location. 39° 40.779′ N, 75° 33.018′ W. Marker is near New Castle, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Collins Park. It is on Buttonwood Avenue, on the left when traveling east

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. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 Buttonwood Avenue, New Castle DE 19720, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Wilmington and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic

and on the Delmarva Peninsula.

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

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: St. John's Lodge No. 2 (approx. half a mile away); The Collins Park Bombings (approx. one mile away); Gold Star Families Memorial Monument (approx. one mile away); Korean War Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); Garrett E. Lyons (approx. one mile away); Delaware & New Jersey WWII Submariners Memorial (approx. one mile away); Wounded Combat Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); Delaware Memorial Bridge (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Castle.

Buttonwood School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, January 18, 2016

2. Buttonwood School

Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,057 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 19, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.