The Park Hill School District has named its newest school after a pillar in the Parkville Black community – its first school to be named after a woman, and a person of color.
At the Thursday, Feb. 22 meeting of the Park Hill Board of Education, the board voted unanimously to name the 12th elementary school, located on Parkville’s western edge, for Angeline Washington. The district’s naming committee narrowed the field from 350 suggestions down to five finalists, with Angeline Washington Elementary the front runner due to what the committee called her pivotal importance to the local community.
Shortly after it was named, ground was broken on the new elementary school, located in the Creekside area. A ceremony was held Thursday, Feb. 29.
Angeline Washington was a person of color enslaved by George Park. She was freed in the 1850s and was married to William Washington in 1855. William and Angeline were married in the old Presbyterian Church in Parkville, Missouri. Although marriages between African Americans were illegal in Missouri, the Reverend George Woodward married them anyway. They had eight children.
The Washington family resided on one acre of land, known as the William Washington Homestead, one-and-one half miles east of Parkville (a short distance east of present-day Ward Road where it branches off from Coffey Road). George Park deeded the property to the Washingtons in 1886. The property included a house and stable, space for a garden and fruit trees. By 1895, the Washingtons moved into Parkville – thought to be where the current police station is in downtown Parkville. Because of the time during which their children were born, most of the Washington children did not have an opportunity for an education. However, many of the Washington grandchildren attended one or both of the Banneker schools.
Angeline Washington sought and was accepted for membership in the Parkville Presbyterian Church, pioneering religious freedom, diversity and educational opportunity for children of color in this area.
In fact, Angeline and William Washington then became enshrined charter members for founding Washington Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church in 1870. In March 1907, the first services were held at Washington Chapel, which still stands today.
The church was dedicated in June 1907 to be named Washington Chapel in honor of William and Angeline.
The committee released a statement that they wanted to express the story of Angeline “through this perspective – the perspective of her life as an enslaved woman owned by George Park to a freed woman who married, owned land, had children, pioneered educational and religious opportunity and bonded a community.”