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Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children

Coordinates: 40°21′11.3″N 74°39′46.6″W / 40.353139°N 74.662944°W / 40.353139; -74.662944
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Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children
The Quarry Street building of the Witherspoon School, now apartments
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children is located in Mercer County, New Jersey
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children is located in New Jersey
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children is located in the United States
Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children
Location35 Quarry Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08542
Coordinates40°21′11.3″N 74°39′46.6″W / 40.353139°N 74.662944°W / 40.353139; -74.662944
Built1858 (184 Witherspoon)
1909 (35 Quarry Street)
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference No.05000125[1]
NJRHP No.4390[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 9, 2005
Designated NJRHPJanuary 6, 2005

The Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children educated the African-American children of Princeton, New Jersey from 1858 until the Princeton Public Schools were integrated in 1948. The school was originally located at the building still standing at 184 Witherspoon Street. As enrollment increased it moved, in 1909, to 35 Quarry Street. The Quarry Street building was expanded in 1939 and again in 1966, giving it its present appearance. The former school has since been turned into an apartment building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 9, 2005, for its significance in education.[3]

History and description

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The school is built with brick and features Colonial Revival architecture. An ornate cupola is centered on the roof.[3] In 1948 the Journal of Negro Education wrote that the Witherspoon Street School had empty spaces while the school for white children was overcrowded.[4]

The 1908 champion YMCA team on the steps of the Witherspoon Street School

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#05000125)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. June 22, 2023. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b Carmelich, Julie P. (September 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children". National Park Service. With accompanying 23 photos
  4. ^ Jensen, Noma (Winter 1948). "A Survey of Segregation Practices in the New Jersey School System". The Journal of Negro Education. 17 (1). Journal of Negro Education: 84–88. JSTOR 2966093. - CITED: p. 86.