Newark Public Schools Museum Preserves the Excellence of Black History in Newark and New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. – State Street School in Newark was built in the same year that James K. Polk was inaugurated president and abolitionist Frederick Douglass published his life story. 

It was where James M. Baxter, Jr. served as Newark’s first Black principal at the age of 19, and where he set out to improve academic standards, establish evening classes, and become one of the earliest proponents of racial integration in public schools by advocating for Black students’ access to the city’s high schools.

Now, the district plans to transform the building into the Newark Public Schools Museum, a place where the district’s great legacy of educational innovation and excellence will be preserved. 

“State Street School is a historic building, and its restoration brings Newark’s educational legacy to life for future generations,” said Superintendent León. “The Newark Public Schools honors the pioneers, preserves the stories, and highlights achievements that shaped our district. This creates new opportunities for students to learn the work of historians, archivists, and curators to value and preserve history.”

“In Newark, we do not simply study history. We prepare our students to preserve it, interpret it, and carry it forward,” he added. 

In 1828, the New Jersey State Legislature passed a law allocating “a portion of the income of the state school funds...for the poor colored children’s instruction.” In 1856, the Newark Board of Education passed a resolution stating that, “There shall be a school for colored children.” That same year, State Street School was established, and remained in existence until segregation was formally abolished by the district in 1909. 

Throughout New Jersey, virtually all of the school buildings where black students were segregated have been demolished and any acknowledgment that they ever existed has been erased. State Street School represents the opening of educational opportunities for children of color, the first admission of children of color into high school, and the establishment of evening classes for adults in 1870. 

The school was built in 1845, and in recognition of its historical and cultural importance to education in general, and to the struggle for equal rights for all children, the building was placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Sites on January 1, 1990; and on the National Registry of Historic Sites on August 3, 1990. 

When the museum is completed, State Street School will provide a living educational resource on the role education has played in enabling children of all races, ethnicities, religions, and creeds to become part of our community and achieve their aspirations and dreams. We can only hope to move forward when we preserve and remember the past. 

Superintendent Emerita Dr. Marion A. Bolden and the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee have long championed the museum at State Street School. The vision is to preserve the building and the district’s extensive historical collections while prominently interpreting the story of Newark’s Black educational history.

After the return to local control, Superintendent León sought to recover State Street School as part of a larger litigation after 12 school buildings were sold during state operation. A settlement approved by the Board provided for the building’s redevelopment as the Newark Public Schools Museum and eventual return to the district. 

“State Street School holds an irreplaceable place in the history of Newark and public education,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “Within its walls, barriers were challenged, academic standards were elevated, and educational opportunities were advanced for Black students in the late 1800s. Restoring this landmark as the Newark Public Schools Museum will ensure that the story of courage, excellence, and innovation throughout our district is preserved, shared, and celebrated for generations to come.”