Military Road School Preservation Trust

07/08/2016

The 2016 recipients of the Military Road School Donnessa Lucas Memorial Scholarship Awards will be introduced at a special reception held Saturday, July 16th at 1:00 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives located at 17th and M Streets, NW. MRSPT will also present the Museum with a nostalgic pictorial collage on the Military Road School. Call 202-241-7276 to RSVP and obtain parking information.

07/08/2016

Military Road School Alumni will be sharing the School's history and their experiences as students on Monday evening, July 11th at 7:00 at the Takoma Park Neighborhood Library located at 416 Cedar Street, NW, where many alumni visited as children.

02/23/2015

Military Road School Alumni Presentation (February 13th)

Four Military Road School alumni shared the School’s history and their experiences as students at a Black History Month Series program sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. This event, hosted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Frederick Yette and Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, featured oral accounts by alumni accompanied by photos, memorabilia and MRSPT literature, which provided attendees with a glimpse of what education was like for African-American children prior to the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision striking segregation in public schools.

10/13/2014

Dexter Manley Becomes Honorary Alumnus

On Sunday, September 28th, MRSPT hosted its final 150th Anniversary event, the “Honoring the Legacy” Gala, celebrating the founding of the historic Military Road School in 1864. Emcee Karen Gray Houston, former Fox 5 TV news reporter and Honorary Military Road School alumna, presided over an evening of festivities that featured a special address by former pro-football great Dexter Manley, who was also granted status as an honorary alumnus of the Military Road School. Two local non-profit organizations, the High Tea Society and 100 Black Men of Greater Washington DC, were recognized for their work with youth and the James Burrell group provided music. Attending alumni included Mrs. Doris Tracy Taylor, who was a teacher at the Military Road School when it closed in 1954

02/28/2014

In observance of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Military Road School, Dr. Malcolm Beech, President of the United States Colored Troops Living History Association, presented a pictorial collage of Military Road School photos to the LAMB Public Charter School, which now occupies the Military Road School building. School Director, Ms. Diane Cottman accepted the photographic artwork, which was donated by the USCTLHA on behalf of MRSPT.

01/18/2014

Thanks to a grant provided by the Humanities Council DC, MRSPT produced a DVD of the oral testimonies of several former Military Road School students and teacher, Mrs. Doris Taylor. The October preview seemed almost like a mini reunion for these alumni.

09/07/2013

09/07/2013

A five-day session on etiquette concluded with a pizza party on August 16th for four young ladies and their family members. Each student received a Certificate of Completion; and Course Instructor Patricia Tyson was presented with a "thank you" gift as an expression of their appreciation.

10/15/2012

These photos were taken on September 22nd at the Lincoln-Thomas Day program and street re-naming ceremony. More photos are on our website, www.mrspt.org.

10/13/2012

Lincoln-Thomas Day
Commemorative Event

On Saturday, September 22nd, MRSPT and several co-sponsors hosted a community event at Fort Stevens in Brightwood commemorating Lincoln-Thomas Day, which was first observed on September 22, 1924, to honor President Abraham Lincoln and Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas, a Brightwood resident whose property was seized to expand Fort Stevens during the Civil War. Highlighting this year’s observance was the formal unveiling of “Elizabeth P. Thomas Way,” the 1000 block of Quackenbos Street which was re-named in honor of Mrs. Thomas.
The Calvin Coolidge High School Marching Band and dancers started the afternoon celebration, followed by a ceremonial opening with the presentation of colors by USCT re-enactors and “The National Anthem,” sung by Military Road School alumnus Beatrice Liggins.
Mistress of Ceremonies Karen Gray Houston (FOX 5TV news reporter) presided over the platform program, which featured songs rendered by students from the Bridges Academy. Several Bridges youth also read President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation later at Fort Stevens. In addition to MRSPT’s Executive Secretary, Patricia Tyson, other platform participants included D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Vincent Gray, and Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, who sponsored the legislation to re-name the block. Mrs. Thomas’ great, great niece, Alice Harris, spoke on behalf of several generations of Thomas descendants who also attended the event. In addition to Rock Creek Park Superintendent Tara Morrison, community leaders taking part included Brightwood Community Association President Anthony Briggs and Emory Fellowship Senior Pastor Joseph Daniels, Jr.
Following the street unveiling ceremony, attendees moved to Fort Stevens where NPS Program Manager Kym Elder facilitated informative historical lectures offered by Civil War historians Hari Jones and B. Franklin Cooling as well as descendant Alice Harris. Among the living history re-enactors in attendance throughout the event were Union military, who also assisted with the wreath-laying ceremony, and Female Re-Enactors of Distinction (FREED) as well as Donise Stevens, known for her portrayal of Elizabeth Thomas.