Hockessin in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hockessin School #107C
Photographed By Bill Pfingsten, January 9, 2016
1. Hockessin School #107C Marker
Inscription.
Hockessin School #107C. . Also known as the Hockessin Colored School, this building was constructed in 1920 to serve the needs of the communities African-American students. Funding for construction was provided by the Delaware School Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont. Unlike white students, African-American students in the community were not provided with transportation to their school. After unsuccessfully attempting to convince officials to provide this service, Mrs. Sarah Bulah sought the assistance of attorney Louis L. Redding, who filed suit against the State Board of Education in 1951 on behalf of her daughter Shirley. The case was formally known as Bulah v. Gebhart. It was subsequently combined with a similar suit that had been filed on behalf of students in Claymont. On April 1, 1952, Delaware Chancellor Collins J. Seitz issued a decision declaring that the disparity between the white and African-American schools was in violation of the United States Constitution. The ruling was later appealed to the United States Supreme Court, where it was joined with other cases to become Brown v. Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, the court issuoed its historic decision declaring segregation of schools to be unlawful. Hockessin School #107C was closed in 1959. It was later converted for use as the Hockessin Community Center.
Also known as the Hockessin Colored School, this building was constructed in 1920 to serve the needs of the communities African-American students. Funding for construction was provided by the Delaware School Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont. Unlike white students, African-American students in the community were not provided with transportation to their school. After unsuccessfully attempting to convince officials to provide this service, Mrs. Sarah Bulah sought the assistance of attorney Louis L. Redding, who filed suit against the State Board of Education in 1951 on behalf of her daughter Shirley. The case was formally known as Bulah v. Gebhart. It was subsequently combined with a similar suit that had been filed on behalf of students in Claymont. On April 1, 1952, Delaware Chancellor Collins J. Seitz issued a decision declaring that the disparity between the white and African-American schools was in violation of the United States Constitution. The ruling was later appealed to the United States Supreme Court, where it was joined with other cases to become Brown v. Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, the court issuoed its historic decision declaring segregation of schools to be unlawful. Hockessin School #107C was closed in 1959. It was later converted for use as the Hockessin Community Center.
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Erected 2004 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-137.)
Location. 39° 47.076′ N, 75° 41.892′ W. Marker is in Hockessin, Delaware, in New Castle County. Marker is on Mill Creek Road, on the right. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hockessin DE 19707, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 464 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 9, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.