Black History Month Highlight on The Wallville School

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The Wallville School is the oldest one-room schoolhouse used for African American students in Calvert County. The average class size was 35-45 students, which ranged from first through seventh grades.
Constructed by the early 1880s, the 18-foot by 18-foot structure often created very cramped learning conditions for students. Although emancipation opened the door for public education for African American children, quality wasn’t always guaranteed. Educational materials were often outdated hand-me-downs and had to be shared between students ranging from first through seventh grades.
Classes were held in the schoolhouse until 1934 when a larger building opened for Black student and teacher use. The schoolhouse was left idle after it closed, watching at a distance as public schools became integrated and the Civil Rights Movement expanded. By 2004, the structure still stood but was in severe disrepair and covered in overgrowth.
In 2006, salvageable pieces of the school were moved to the Calvert County Elementary School on East Dares Beach Road (Route 402) in Prince Frederick. Old materials were combined with new ones to preserve this piece of Calvert County—and United States—history. A new historical marker was recently installed, renewing the connection of education of the past to how it is today. Don’t forget to stop by the next time you’re passing by!
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