Did You Know? #19 The Guilford Elementary School is the only former public colored school in HoCo still teaching children today

Creative, hard-working, community-based and persistent people of all backgrounds founded Guilford and continue to build its legacy. It is a microcosm of the true and complicated history of Howard County. In March of 1950, the School Board decided it would be necessary to build a new school at Guilford. They at first decided to purchase and build on a 10 acre lot fronting Mission Road a half-mile away, but later decided the property would not work due to topography and other factors and finally decided to build the school on the Thomas L. Collins property where the current school still operates. They originally anticipated the new Guilford school to be 6 classrooms at a cost of $130,000-$150,000 and later decided on a 12 room school at a price of about $225,000 to accommodate the growth of students.

At this same time, Roger Carter, grandson of the quarry driller Rev. Willis Carter who founded the First Baptist Church of Guilford, and was among the trustees of the first school for black children in Guilford, was awarded his first school bus contract to serve several segregated schools in 1950. The post-war Black population of District 6 had more than doubled - a new and larger public school in Guilford was now needed.

The first delegation of white citizens to object to the new colored school in Guilford

In September of 1952, the School Board made a final decision to build a new “colored” elementary school in Guilford. Elkridge, Meadowridge, and Colesville schools would be combined into this new school. In April of 1953, the School Board authorized purchase of the Collins property along Oakland Mills Road and just a month later, on May 5th, the School Board minutes showed the following opposition to the school site on Guilford Road:

“A delegation of twenty-five citizens of the Sixth District of Howard County appeared before the Board. Mr. Charles Hogg, attorney representing the delegation, lead the discussion. Mr. Hogg stated that the delegation objected to the use of the Collins property as a site for the new Guilford Colored School for the following reasons:

1. the colored school would lower property values in the Guilford area

2. it would increase the colored population in the colored area

3. the delegation was not opposing a colored school but the location of the school

4. the Mission Road site was more desirable for a school than the Collins site

Mr. Henry Sieling stated that the location of a school on the Collins property would create a traffic hazard and lower the property values of people in the vicinity of the school. Mr. E.A. Connell stated that the school would lower the value of his property and open the area to further colored housing developments. Colonel Atwell stated that the Board would give the matter very careful consideration.”

State Senator Shipley’s objection to the new colored school in Guilford

Another delegation approached the School Board on May 18, 1953 lead by Dr. Frank Shipley of Savage:

“Dr. Shipley stated that several members of the delegation had called on the Superintendent on Friday, May 15, to voice their objection to the use of the Collins property as a site for the new Guilford Colored School. Dr. Shipley further stated that the Superintendent of Schools had requested the delegation to voice their objections to the Board at its next meeting. Dr. Shipley stated that the delegation wished to go on record as opposing the Guilford site for the following reasons:

1. the Crone site on the Mission Road would be more desirable because of its location near the colored population

2. citizens in the community object to the colored school being built on the Collins site

3. some of the large taxpayers of the sixth district feel that the school site is too close to their property and, therefore, would lower property values

4. the proposed site is very close to the new Episcopal Church Rectory and Hall

Colonel Atwell thanked the delegation for coming and further stated that the Board of Education would give the opposition of the delegation very careful consideration.”

The new “Guilford Consolidated Colored School” on Oakland Mills Road

These objections were a very sad commentary of the times and we are all grateful that the School Board ignored these racist pleas. The school board fell that such a school would be too large and visible to be put on the very small and dirt Mission Road compared to the hard surfaced and easily accessible Oakland Mills Road.

By the July 1st deadline there were 9 bids to build the “Guilford Consolidated Colored School” and the contract was awarded to Kahn Engineering Company for $216,278. Construction began by August. In March of 1954 it was decided that the new Guilford Elementary school would be ready to open in September and the School Board authorized the sale of the sites of the Guilford, Colesville, Elkridge, and Meadowridge schools which would be closed and consolidated into the new school.

The new segregated Guilford Elementary School and the Supreme Court decision

The new Guilford Elementary School opened in September of 1954 as a segregated school just 4 months after the Supreme Court ruling of Brown vs the Board of Education stating that racial segregation in public schools was unlawful in the United States. The Guilford community and their school PTA pushed hard in the following years to desegregate the schools in Howard County.

The new Guilford Elementary school had been planned since 1950 but was opened just a few months after the landmark Supreme Court decision racial segregation in public schools was illegal. As with the old Guilford Elementary School on Mission Road, the same trustees continued at the new school on Oakland Mills Road - Remus Dorsey, Roger Dorsey, and Samuel Moore. But it was the Guilford Elementary PTA that carried a loud voice on behalf of their school and to push desegregation in Howard County.

HoCo was against desegregation of the schools

The June 1954 School Board meeting was business as usual for the “colored” schools as the Maryland Attorney General’s office needed time to reflect on the “full implications” of the Supreme Court decision which they expected in the fall. However, the Board at their June meeting wrote that:

 “The laws of Maryland specifically provide for segregation in the public schools and in the teachers colleges. In view of this law requiring segregation, no program of integration can be put into effect until the decision of the Supreme Court becomes final and an effective date is set by the Supreme Court.”

At the June 7, 1955 Howard County School Board meeting they acknowledged that the Supreme Court clarified their ruling on May 31, 1955 and that segregation of public school was clearly unlawful and all district courts and school boards immediately work towards desegregation “with all deliberate speed”. In response to the Supreme Court clarification, the HoCo School Board made the following statement showing no interest in pursuing desegregation quickly:

"The Howard County Board of Education discussed the Supreme Court's opinion on the public school segregation cases and the many problems confronting the Board because of the Court's decision. There are problems relating to personnel, school plant, transportation, and the administration of the school system which need clarification under the ruling. Due to the magnitude of the problem and its many implications, the Board decided it was not wise under the circumstances to make any judgments or decisions until further study can be made. Such a study has been in progress for some time and will be continued until sufficient information has been obtained upon which to base a course of action." (June 7, 1955)

Ellicott City, Cooksville, Highland and Guilford were the remaining segregated schools and it caused a problem for the County. There was still a strong sentiment among some that wanted to fight desegregation as seen by a petition signed by about 36,000 Marylanders and presented to the HoCo Board opposing it. The integration of Howard County schools would take a long time and even in the schools that were integrated, segregated busing still occurred.

HoCo still against desegregation in the schools

On August 16th, 1955, the Howard County School Board Issued a formal statement (see pdf file attached) that really punted the issue down the road because “The detailed mechanics of this transition are up to the local authorities, in this case, the Board of Education of Howard County. The Supreme Court requires only a prompt and reasonable start toward full compliance, recognizing the problem that exists when a social system and a way of life are changed.” What an insulting response from a school system that implemented institutional racism as a daily way of life. Apparently they thought it was an acceptable “way of life” for those thousands of students that were discriminated against and the white students who were left steeped in following the way it has always been and missed out on new ideas and friendships.

Finally – the integration of black and white children in HoCo schools

One could write a book on the following decade of desegregating the schools. But we should recognize the outspoken efforts of the Guilford PTA and the First Baptist Church of Guilford in 1956 by supporting immediate desegregation and the HoCo NACCP and those in the community fighting for it in the following decade.

On June 13, 1964, the Howard County School Board minutes planned for the Guilford Elementary school to be the last school desegregated in the County in 1967.

“In order to plan for total desegregation, the Secretary requested The Board to consider a new program. He stated that after carefully considering all of the factors involved, he recommended the following program for the next four years beginning June 30, 1964: …

f) The Guilford Elementary School will be desegregated on June 30, 1967, and pupils may be transferred to or from this school in September, 1967, consistent with transportation policies.”

Fortunately, seemingly from pressure brought by the Howard County NAACP the School Board on February 9, 1965 agreed to desegregate Guilford Elementary School in September of that year instead of waiting an additional 2 years. The simple mention of this in their minutes read **“**Following a discussion, and upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board unanimously agreed to integrate the Guilford School in 1965.”

Unfortunately, it was also decided that instead of improving and enlarging the Harriet Tubman High School for all students for the 1965-1966 school year, they decided to close it because the school board was concerned that white parents did not want their children attending a former “colored school”. This issue was averted at Guilford Elementary school but not for the older children at Harriet Tubman High School**. This leaves us with only Guilford Elementary School as the only formerly “colored school” that became fully integrated in 1965 and still operating in the County.**

The only segregated public school still open today – Guilford Elementary School

It sure took a very long time for the County to comply with the desegregation laws but it demonstrated the strength and conviction of the Guilford community to provide quality education and schools for their children. They worked hard for it beginning with the first school in 1905 for the children of the Maryland Granite Company quarry workers lead by Rev. Willis Carter, to the 1923 elementary school on Mission Road made possible by the community raising at least $1000 to match the $900 from the County and $800 from the Rosenwald fund and building of the school by William Arthur and Samuel Carter. Finally a larger and new elementary school in 1954 was built and the start of the long fight for desegregation by so many within the Guilford community. This school is the only formerly segregated school in Howard County that is still open today. It is a very historic property and should be recognized as such. Any photos of the original 1954 school would be greatly appreciated.

Note:

Please see the attached Baltimore Sun article from November 18, 1994 entitled “Desegregation Recalled in School’s Celebration”.  https://www.baltimoresun.com/.../bs-xpm-1994-11-18...

[We encourage you to read the “History of Blacks in Howard County” by Alice Cornelison, et al. 1986 and to read the Howard County school board minutes to see for yourselves the reluctance of the County to desegregate the schools despite the legal mandate to do so over a decade earlier.]