Within the Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse
In 2024, as part of an initiative with the Downtown Sykesville Connection's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) group, the Gate House Museum concentrated research on expanding our understanding of Sykesville's historically black community along Oklahoma Avenue and Schoolhouse Road. This information on this page is the result of this and ongoing research to better understand the particular experiences of rural one room schools, like the Sykesville Historic Colored Schoolhouse.
Starting A School
You can find out more about changes to the building itself on our Sykesville Historic District page for its address found here.
Teachers
At the start of the 1900s, Carroll County Public Schools at the turn of the century vetted teachers for training and experience before granting them licenses to teach in county schools. However, rural schoolteachers, and especially black schoolteachers were in short supply.
You can find more information on training for black teachers at these outside sources:
Towson University Library
Bowie State University Library
Hathi Trust: Reports of the State Board of Education
Student Experience
In the early 2000s, the Historical Society of Carroll County (in tandem with the Carroll Media Center) collected a series of interviews of Black experiences throughout the county.
