A gentle breeze, the singing of birds, and quiet reverence set the tone for those who attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of the Germantown School in Worcester County. This day celebrated the efforts of the Germantown School Community Heritage Center (GSCHC) and its benefactors.

Originally built in 1923 by the Rosenwald Foundation, this schoolhouse was a part of an effort to make education more available to African-American children at the time. It had two rooms, one for grades 1-3, the other for grades 4-7. Barbara Purnell, president of the GSCHC and attendee of the last official classes held at the school before its closure, stated she liked being in a class with the other grade-levels. "We were able to learn from each other," said Purnell.

In 1962, during the time of public school integration, the Worcester County Board of Ed. closed down the Germantown school and turned the property over to the Community Highway Association, at which point the floors and windows were removed from the old building and it was turned into what could more or less be called a garage. While this was an innovative way to reuse the schoolhouse, the decision didn't sit well with the people who remembered this place as a house of learning. It isn't hard to understand why the Germantown School would be precious to those who had been deprived of an education for so long. "It gave us our foundation for our future," said Barbara Purnell. Thus we have the initiative that was started by the GSCHC, and their efforts to restore the school to its original condition began in 2001.

Worcester County Commissioner James Purnell said, "This community thought they lost this school... they came to me and asked what it would take to keep it." It was Commissioner Purnell who took the Heritage Center's efforts to the political arena. The vote for pursuing the restoration of the school was unanimous. The government of Worcester County and Maryland State each gave $150k on top of the private donations received by the Heritage Center. Commissioner Purnell says Worcester County will stand behind the building project, and he guarantees it will reach completion no matter what.

After the school is rebuilt, it will remain an important heritage site for any who are visiting Worcester County. It will also be used as a community center for seniors, community activities and events. The members of the GSCHC hope that after the Germantown School is restored, it will be an example for everyone to not let go of the past, but to always carry their heritage into the future.

When all speeches had been made at the ceremony, the members of the Heritage Center raised the first shovels-full of earth to mark the beginning of the restoration project. Construction on the new school is scheduled to begin June 10th, 2010.

Written by Erik Yount. Photography by Errol Webber.