Nassau School served students until 1965
The Nassau School was built in 1922 near the current-day Five Points intersection outside Lewes.
It was one of the 33 Black schools built in Sussex County with funding from philanthropist millionaire Pierre S. du Pont.
During the time of segregation, students attended first through eighth grade at the school until 1965.
The school was purchased by the Delaware Department of Transportation as part of the lands of the Best family and Bests’ Ace Hardware to make way for a new access road from southbound Route 1 to a new roundabout at Plantation Road and Beaver Dam Road. The building was used for storage.
A long-awaited renovation project in the works. It is a collaboration among Delaware's Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, which now owns the school, the Greater Lewes Foundation, Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice and Nassau School Coalition. The four groups will work together to establish programming for the school.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and building pages, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
