Legacy of the Bell at Cherry Hill School (Mitchellville, Maryland)

Abstract

Life in rural America in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century seems like a millennium ago. Urban and suburban sprawl has replaced much of the bucolic life that once existed. And so it has in Mitchellville, located in central Prince George’s County, Maryland, where the one-room Cherry Hill School once stood. Through a research-based study and image-enhanced presentation of the findings, this period piece begins with an historical context of the countryside, the budding education system, and the look and feel of school facilities as public education began and improved. The paper continues by painting a textual and photographic picture of Cherry Hill School in this much simpler time and place followed by a look at the school bell that once rang from the school’s bell tower. The purpose of this research was to document and preserve a small slice of the rich cultural history of the area. Macro-level histories about the State of Maryland and Prince George’s County have been written, but very few take a microscopic look into a small area over a relatively short, delineated span of time. Without this micro-level approach, its history may be lost. Having just quietly celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Cherry Hill School, the author hopes that this work will encourage others to select small areas for deep study, documentation and publication.

Keywords: 30 minutes, cursory, 60 minutes, study), Prince George's County, local history, one-room schools, one room schools, one-room schoolhouses, one room school houses, Maryland history, history of education