Near Cooksville in Howard County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Cooksville High School
1935-1949
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 8, 2007
1. Cooksville High School Marker
Site of the first public high school for African Americans in Howard County. Original site of Warfield Academy, became Mount Gregory School in 1867 for African Americans and was the genesis of Mount Gregory Church. Was a public elementary school by 1925. Through the efforts of the community, secondary grades were phased in beginning 1935, with the first students graduating in 1939.
Erected 2002 by the Maryland Historic Trust and the Maryland State Highway Administration.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1867.
Location. 39° 18.454′ N, 77° 1.28′ W. Marker is near Cooksville, Maryland, in Howard County. It is on Roxbury Mills or Washington Road (Maryland Route 97) 0.9 miles south of Old Frederick Road ( Route 144). It is in front of the Mount Gregory United Methodist Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2325 Washington Road, Cooksville MD 21723, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. 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 10 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mount Gregory United Methodist Church Bell (within shouting distance of this marker); Simpson & Mount Gregory United Methodist Churches (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Charles Alexander Warfield (approx. 0.4 miles away); Roberts Inn (approx. 0.9 miles away); Cooksville (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Gettysburg Campaign (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Cooksville (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Moving Goods on the National Road
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. Gettysburg Campaign (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Moving Goods on the National Road (was approx. 3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); New Lisbon (was approx. 3.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding Cooksville High School. The Mount Gregory United Methodist Church was founded in the Warfield Academy building, which was destroyed by fire in 1922. In 1898 work started on the present church building. What became the Cooksville High School was housed in a frame building built in 1927. Cooksville High School was a public segregated school operated by the Howard County Board of Education. It was the only high school for black children in the county at that time. The building is no longer standing.
Also see . . . Difficult Change, One Step at a Time. 2004 Washington Post article by Susan DeFord. (Submitted on April 9, 2007.)
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 8, 2007
2. Mount Gregory United Methodist Church
Church website homepage:
This church, founded in 1867, is on the site of the high school.
Click for more information.
This church, founded in 1867, is on the site of the high school.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,899 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
