St. Benedict the Moor School is a former Black Catholic primary school located in the

Lincolnville Historic District Lincolnville Historic District (formerly known as Little Africa) is a neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida established by freedmen following the American Civil War and located on the southwest peninsula of the "nation's oldest city." It was de ...

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabi ...

. The school is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

of the

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

The school began as part of a Catholic mission in 1871 to serve and minister to newly freed slaves. It is located at 86 Martin Luther King Avenue and was built in 1898. The money for construction of the school ($7,500) was donated by

Katherine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She was the second person born ...

(1858–1955), founder and

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, an order of nuns formed "''to serve Indians and Colored People.''" Drexel, a member of the wealthy Philadelphia banking family, was the niece of

Anthony J. Drexel Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel & Co. of Philadelphia, he found ...

, founder of

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, ...

. (Katharine was made a saint by Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 2000.)

St Aug Lincolnville St Benedict the Moor church and school01

The school, named in honor of St.

Benedict the Moor Benedict the Moor ( it, Benedetto da San Fratello; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was a Sicilian Franciscan friar who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic church. Born of enslaved Africans in San Fratello, he was freed at birth and became known for h ...

, was constructed of brick and was one of the first schools for black students in Florida. The students were instructed by nuns of a local convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph. There were between 90 and 100 students enrolled per year at the school which was opened between 1898 and 1968. The school is located on a parcel of land which includes the school on the southern end of the property, the parish house in the center and the church of St. Benedict the Moor at the north end, staffed by the Josephites. During 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. used the rectory as a meeting place to plan marches. The school was closed soon after, partly as a result of school desegregation legislation which arose in the wake of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requi ...

. The events which occurred in St. Augustine, of which Martin Luther King Jr. played a key role, were an important catalyst in the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Years prior to the Civil Rights Era, in 1916, three white Catholic nuns were arrested for violating a 1913 Florida law prohibiting white teachers for instructing blacks. The three were acquitted on the grounds that the law did not apply to private schools. The school is a

of the

on the

. Despite this designation the building sits exposed to the elements with no roof or windows. The roof was removed during 2006 as part of a restoration project which has been stalled for an alleged lack of funding.African American Sites in Florida by Kevin M. McCarthy - Page 240

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Benedict The Moor School Buildings and structures in St. Augustine, Florida School buildings completed in 1898 Educational institutions established in 1871 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Historic district contributing properties in Florida National Register of Historic Places in St. Johns County, Florida 1871 establishments in Florida African-American Roman Catholic schools Schools founded by St. Katharine Drexel Josephite schools in the United States