Concord School House (Philadelphia)
Encyclopedia
The Concord School House is a historic one-room schoolhouse in the Germantown
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It is operated today as a museum.
Built in 1775 by Jacob Knor, Concord was the first English-language school in Germantown (then an exurb of Philadelphia), built on the corner of the Upper Burial Ground
at Washington Lane and Germantown Avenue. It opened to students in October 1775, and served as a school room until 1892.
At a meeting on March 24, 1775, the residents of the upper part of Germantown decided that the Union School (later known as Germantown Academy
) was too far for their children to travel, and they needed a schoolhouse of their own. The site beside the Upper Burial Ground
was chosen, construction began, and in October 1775, the Concord School was completed. In 1818 a second floor was added as a town meeting room.
The school was supported by subscription and neighbors contributed to the fund, allowing any family that could afford the fee to enroll its children (around $2 per quarter, plus .25 for spelling books), including families of African descent who rented the school house in the 1850s.
The origin of the school's name is uncertain. It was perhaps named after the ship Concord which brought the first Dutch and German immigrants to America. An alternate theory is that its foundations were built at the time of the first shot of the American Revolution
fired in Concord, Massachusetts
.
Concord School House is a contributing property
of the Colonial Germantown Historic District
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The building retains its original bell and belfry, schoolmaster's desk, books, and even a stool and dunce cap.
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It is operated today as a museum.
Built in 1775 by Jacob Knor, Concord was the first English-language school in Germantown (then an exurb of Philadelphia), built on the corner of the Upper Burial Ground
Upper Burial Ground
The Upper Burial Ground is a cemetery in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable as the last resting place of 58 American soldiers from the Battle of Germantown in the American Revolution...
at Washington Lane and Germantown Avenue. It opened to students in October 1775, and served as a school room until 1892.
At a meeting on March 24, 1775, the residents of the upper part of Germantown decided that the Union School (later known as Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
) was too far for their children to travel, and they needed a schoolhouse of their own. The site beside the Upper Burial Ground
Upper Burial Ground
The Upper Burial Ground is a cemetery in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable as the last resting place of 58 American soldiers from the Battle of Germantown in the American Revolution...
was chosen, construction began, and in October 1775, the Concord School was completed. In 1818 a second floor was added as a town meeting room.
The school was supported by subscription and neighbors contributed to the fund, allowing any family that could afford the fee to enroll its children (around $2 per quarter, plus .25 for spelling books), including families of African descent who rented the school house in the 1850s.
The origin of the school's name is uncertain. It was perhaps named after the ship Concord which brought the first Dutch and German immigrants to America. An alternate theory is that its foundations were built at the time of the first shot of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
fired in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
.
Concord School House is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
of the Colonial Germantown Historic District
Colonial Germantown Historic District
The Colonial Germantown Historic District is a designated National Historic Landmark District in the Germantown and Mount Airy neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along both sides of Germantown Avenue...
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The building retains its original bell and belfry, schoolmaster's desk, books, and even a stool and dunce cap.
Further reading
- Marion, John Francis. Bicentennial City: Walking Tours of Historic Philadelphia. Princeton: The Pyne Press, 1974.
- Jenkins, Charles F. The Guide Book to Historic Germantown. Germantown Historical Society, 1973.
- Tinkcom, Harry A and Margaret B. and Grant Miles Simon, Historic Germantown: From the Founding to the Early Part of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1955., p. 97
- Teitelman, Edward, and Richard W. Longstreth. Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1974., p. 218
- Webster, Richard J., Philadelphia Preserved. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1976., p. 263
External links
- Official web site
- Concord School at USHistory.org