Trappe's First African American School-1865
Trappe's First African American School-1865

      On Dec. 1, 1864, the Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People was organized to establish schools for African Americans throughout Maryland. In 1865, three schools were opened in Talbot Co. including one in Trappe which opened on Oct. 6. It had 44 pupils on which $5.50 was spent. It is not clear where the Trappe school was located. Most of these smaller schools were located in Black churches. Based on this letter from the teacher Mrs. Hoy, the local reaction was none too friendly.
      Mr. Mulligan was certainly Mr. Mullikin, a secesh was someone who supported the secession of the Confederate states and likely also supported slavery.
      Trappe would not get a black school that was part of the county school system until 1878 when former slave Nathaniel Hopkins helped get a school house built on property owned by Scotts M.E. Church. It is quite probable that Hopkins was involved in this school, too. Perhaps he was the G. Hopkins mentioned.
      Previous to the discovery of this letter, it was not known that Trappe had an African American school so early. The letter was printed in the First Annual Report of the Baltimore Association, for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People, November, 1865, pps 20-21.
      See also page 6, Trappe Area Schools and Education