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All the United States Maryland Boyds Boyds Negro School
AO Edited

Boyds Negro School

The only public school for Black children in the region from 1895-1936.

Boyds, Maryland

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Ian Hall
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Interior of school.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Boyds Negro School   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Boyds Negro School   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Historical plaque and open/closed sign.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of schoolhouse.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
School sign.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of schoolhouse.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Boyds Negro School   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of schoolhouse.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Memorial to Betty Talley Hawkins, local educator.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Outhouse.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Stained glass window.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Interpretive sign for the outhouse.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Outhouse behind the school.   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This small building was the only school that served Black children in Boyds and the surrounding areas from the turn of the 20th-century through the mid-1930s.

The school served grades first-eighth. Many children who attended the school walked for miles to get to and from the building. 

The school was heated by a wood stove and had no indoor plumbing. There is a replica of the original outhouse a few hundred feet behind the school building on the edge of the woods. The drinking water was sourced locally from Gum Spring.

Students used worn books and materials discarded by predominantly White schools. The school was solely funded through tax revenues from Black residents, which resulted in intermittent closures. 

The school was acquired in 1980 by the Boyds Historical Society and restored to its condition circa approximately 1900. It serves as an important resource to teach visitors about the history of the school and education. 

Related Tags

Black History Education Schools

Know Before You Go

The school is open from 2 pm-4 pm on the third Sunday of every month from April to November, and also by appointment.

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blimpcaptain

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September 17, 2021

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Sources
  • https://ourhistoriesourlives.blogspot.com/2009/07/boyds-negro-school.html?m=1
  • https://patch.com/maryland/germantown/boyds-negro-school
Boyds Negro School
19510 White Ground Rd
Boyds, Maryland, 20841
United States
39.176042, -77.321965
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