Text Box: THE SCHOOL     As tough and as rugged as the soldiers were who traveled that road to reach Fort Stevens, we, too, became soldiers of small stature on that road, preparing to face the challenges of life ahead of us.   They were, no doubt, summoned to their daily duties by the Reveille bugler; we marched to a different drumbeat that began each day with the ringing of an old-fashioned hand bell.   The Military Road School enjoys an illustrious history which dates back to 1864. The original frame structure was so named for its location on a road used to transport soldiers and materials to nearby Fort Stevens during the Civil War. However, from approximately 1840 until well after the present structure was occupied, temporary buildings in the immediate vicinity, including the Rock Creek Ford Road School for Colored Children, served as school facilities for Afro-American students.  The present Military Road School building, completed in 1912, was erected near the original frame structure on the same site at a cost of $29,000.  The uniqueness of the Military Road School was its "country-style" atmosphere, contained within four classrooms, which provided a basic, well-rounded education for many Afro-American children. From its early years until closure, students in grades one through six, and for some period of time, grade eight, were summoned to class by the ringing of a brass hand bell. Upon closing as a public school in 1954, the Military Road School was subsequently used for special education students and is presently being utilized by the Washington Urban League as a word processing training center.   In 2000 The Military Road School building has survived the urban development which continues to alter much of the city’s original flavor and still reaches out to the community at large.  Recently shared experiences among countless students who attended this school substantiate the fact that its heritage became an incentive for the teachers, students, and parents to perpetuate the standard of excellence with each succeeding generation.     The Military Road School Alumni Association The Military Road School Alumni Association desires that this facility continue to serve the surrounding community in an educational capacity.  Children need to develop self worth and respect for others.  Therefore, in tribute and gratitude for the excellent teaching that challenged its students to make a difference in society, the Military Road School Alumni Association is actively pursuing avenues to restore this beautiful Italian Renaissance architectural style building to its original beauty, before its closure as a public school in the District of Columbia in 1954, as well as expose inner-city youth to the basic riches of life received at Military Road School.                                                                              Military Road School Alumni Association

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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