New London Road Community

Welcome to the New London Road Walking Tour. This tour will take you through the history and landscape of this community, which has a rich and intriguing past. The community primarily consists of New London Road and Cleveland Avenue, as well as Ray Street, Corbit Street, Church Street, Creek Road and Terry Manor. This historically African American community is bound on the South by the Rail Road tracks, near where you are probably standing now. Creek Road, or N. College Avenue as it is now known, forms the eastern boundary, White Clay Creek creates the northern boundary, and W. Main Street marks the Western limit. Patty Wilson remembers how the boundaries of the community were enforced,

"...once you got past the railroad tracks and as you went down Main St. Deer Park was just a number, one of a number of places you could not go. You could not go to Rhoade's drug store; there were plenty of places you could not go. Deer Park was probably the most egregious...."  

Beyond any of these four boundaries were areas controlled completely by the white residents of Newark. But within these confines, a dynamic, friendly, and loving African American community emerged which was self sufficient and progressive. This walking tour will take you around the main streets of this historic community and share many of the stories and accomplishments that make the New London Road community so unique.

African American families have historically always occupied this particular section of land, since well before the Civil War. Delaware was unusually situated before the Civil War. It was technically a slave state, but by the start of the War, 90% of all African Americans in the state were free people, many slave owners having manumitted their slaves on matters of principle. Delaware did not secede from the Union at the start of the Civil War. What slavery was left in Delaware was abolished in 1865 with the 13th Amendment. Delaware then went on to become the only state in the tri-state area in which black men could own land, allowing for African American families to settle in the New London Road Community.

The roots of this particular community can be traced back at least to 1786 when the James family settled in Newark. As of the 1870 census, at least 21 families were living here, seven of whom owned land here before the Civil War. The names that date back to before the Civil War, can still be found among community members today, such as the Saunders family.

Over the years, different groups of African Americans have made their homes in the New London Road Community, creating layers of settlement and, therefore, layers of history. But as new people have come in, as the result of migrations out of the south, the Chrysler plant opening in Newark creating more jobs, or local military bases recruiting new men, the community was always a welcoming place that embraced new residents. 

There are a number of elements that make up this community that are essential to understanding its history and dynamics, and of which the community is very proud. These elements will be expanded upon throughout the tour, but they deserve mention now.

Religion and attending church have always been incredibly important to the community. Three main churches have existed in this community and all three exist today. They are Pilgrim Baptist, which you will see next, Mt. Zion UAME church and St. John African Methodist Church. 

In addition to religion, education has always been considered of the utmost importance within the community. The city of Newark, until the mid-20th Century, did not provide basic city services to this area. This community was not really included in any school district until the 1950’s.

Finally, the self-sufficiency of the community is the thing of which the community is perhaps most proud. During times when black members of the community were not welcome in the shops or clubs on Main Street, this community has always been able to provide food and opportunities for itself.  From picking blackberries in Green’s Field, to raising chickens on different properties, to having a community pool at Bell’s Funeral Home, to Bobby Saunders opening a pool hall, this community has never let the prejudice of the rest of the city stop it from taking care of its needs and desires. 

There are a few memories from community members you should carry with you as you walk through this neighborhood. These memories explain what the community was about and what it was like growing up and living here. George Wilson, one of the biggest figures of the community, describes how it felt to be black and live in Newark 

“If you were Black and lived in Newark, can you imagine being a child back then?  Where there is a movie you aren’t allowed to go to it; physical things around and you are not allowed to go in.  There was a swimming pool around and you were not allowed to go in it.  All of the things that were good were reserved for White people and we were non-people – we were Black.” 

And Arnold Saunders explains how the community functioned:

“The neighborhood was tight. We loved one another. Not that families didn’t have problems every once in awhile with other families, but we grew up loving one another in The Village. If somebody was sick, everybody turned out to bring them a pot of soup or clean their houses. If somebody had a fire, if somebody had a piece of furniture or something to give them, or get them back up on their feet.”​

Now that you are ready to experience the New London Road Community, please walk up New London Road to Prayer Temple Ministries, which used to be Pilgrim Baptist Church, at 49 New London Road.

You are now looking at the building that once housed Pilgrim Baptist Church, one of the three churches of this community. Pilgrim Baptist was established in 1913 by Reverend Twyman and his wife, Deacon John Giles and his wife, and several other community members. The congregants of Pilgrim Baptist initially met in a tent on Church Street, just across New London Road from where we stand now. The congregation eventually purchased this building, which had once been a Nickelodeon. Services for Pilgrim Baptist were held here until 1994, when the congregation moved to a new building on Barksdale Road. 

Pilgrim Baptist has had five permanent Pastors since 1913 as well as several interim pastors. The house just across New London Road, on the right of Church Street, served as the parsonage for the pastors who have lived here. The Reverend Isaac S. Holmes, one of the church’s longest serving pastors, lived in the parsonage for some time. He also established quite a few of the churches’ ministries, many of which are still active today. Today’s church is located on Barksdale Road and has been led since 2004 by the Reverend Lonnie E. Rector. The church offers services on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as Sunday School, and Bible Study. Pilgrim Baptist is active in the community as well as on the national level, participating in a variety of conferences and ministries. 

Church-going has always held important significance for community members, and many people remember Pilgrim Baptist fondly. Alvin Hall recalls,

“Everybody just about in the neighborhood went to church.  That was a standard with the black families...The churches were basically well attended.  Most of the residents in the area were a deacon or sang on the choir or had some kind of a position within the church.”  ​

But Clarence “Pepper” Wigam  recalls that Pilgrim Baptist had the best singers of the community!

As you’ll see through the rest of the walking tour, church holds a special place in this community, and many residents attribute the substantial accomplishments of the community to the three churches. As Arnold Saunders suggests,

“I guess if it wasn’t for the churches, we would have more, I guess, rowdy kids than anything. I think the churches, on account of we had to go to church, played a great part, and I think the children that went to church learned a lot about self esteem, learned about, more about God.”​

Now cross New London Road and continue North until you find a set of three stone steps. These steps are the site of Mr. Bobby Saunders’ Barber shop. 

The three stone steps now in front of you are all that remain of Mr. Bobby Saunders’ Barbershop. But if these steps could talk, they would tell you fantastic stories; stories about chess games and gossip; stories about accomplishment and friendship. But mostly, they would tell you the story of Bobby Saunders, one of the biggest movers-and-shakers of this community. 

Bernard, or Bobby Saunders was born in Newark in 1911, but his family name has been associated with this community since early in the community’s development. Griffin and Grace Sanders settled in the area during slavery, as free and land-owning people. Griffin and Grace Sanders appear in census records from 1870 to 1900. Their son William, during whose lifetime “Sanders” turned into “Saunders” was born around 1863 and appears in subsequent census records as well. William Saunders was a known leader in the New London Road Community, and his son Bobby followed in his footsteps. 

Like many of his fellow community members, Bobby Saunders was committed to his education, and took the train from Elkton up to Wilmington in order to attend Howard High School, the only high school in the state that would admit black students until the 1950’s. Bobby Saunders graduated from Howard in 1928. Saunders’ contributions to the community began soon after he graduated high school. To combat the lack of options for the black community members, Bobby Saunders began by building two tennis courts and a tennis association in the 1930s because black people were not allowed to play on white courts. Following the tennis courts, Bobby and his wife Dorothy built a pool hall-gas station-snack bar combination in 1946, which was located at the intersection of New London Road and Cleveland Avenue. Such a business contributed to the community’s ability to be self-sufficient. That shop, though, was purchased by Newark in the 1960’s in order to widen the road. Mr. Bobby himself tells Denise Hayman about his attitude toward his business in the community,

“Oh yeah 1946 is when we opened a combination pool room, grocery store and snack bar… We did it because we just loved people…” ​

In addition to owning and operating these businesses, the Saunders were also dedicated to promoting the well being of their community in a variety of ways. They helped establish the Newark Athletic Club football team, a bowling team and bridge club. The Saunders also gained admittance to several all-white social clubs, opening the door for other blacks to join as well.

Mr. Bobby is perhaps best remembered for his barbershop, which stood right where you are standing now. He ran the barbershop with another entrepreneur, Mr. Jack, also known as Uncle Earl. Certainly, you could come here for a haircut, but the community remembers the barbershop as offering much more. Arnold Saunders remembers what it was like getting your hair cut:

“he had a barbershop where everybody met, usually on a Saturday to get your hair cut, and at that time to save money you’d have to get a bald head. I mean, all your hair was cut off as a kid. I can remember one time, my mother had five boys in a row, we decided we were going to get a trim up, what they called a trim up, and that’s not all your hair cut off, so we were [inaudible.] up to get this trim up but as soon as we got home, I tell you, we got turned right back around and sent right back to the barber shop to get all our hair cut off, and I didn’t understand why at the time, but the time was, if you got a trim up that means I had to go to the barbershop more than usual to get a haircut and that costs money, but if we got a bald head, it was less money to spend for haircuts for kids.”

The area behind and to the right of Mr. Bobby’s Barbershop was once a big open area known as Big Field. Big Field was an important part of the community. Athletics and sports provided both much needed relaxation and social gatherings. Several open areas, such as Big Field and Green’s Field, which you will see on this tour, were sites of organized sporting endeavors, such as baseball and football. Many of these teams went on to compete at the semi-professional level, traveling as far away as Annapolis, Washington DC and Philadelphia to play other black teams. Several professional athletes have come out of the community as well, such as Kenneth Hall, Conway and Gary Hayman and Pedro Swann JR. Clarence “Pepper” Wigam explains how sports affected the community.

"They were outstanding athletes that played at Newark High School. that was the incentive to make you do good. On with sports, but also keeping the grades too."​

Brad “Doc” Lane is another accomplished athlete from the community. Named the 1991 Delaware State Wrestling-Man-of-the-year, Doc coached wrestling camp at the University of Delaware and is still an active athlete and community member.

Once you are ready to continue, walk north along New London Road and turn right onto Cleveland Avenue. 

You are now turning right onto Cleveland Avenue, one of the main roads of the community. This street was both residential and commercial. Mr. Bobby Saunders’ gas station and shop was just on the corner of New London Road and Cleveland Avenue, as mentioned earlier. Pointdexter’s Liquor Store also once existed on Cleveland. As of the 1930 census, 22 families lived on Cleveland Avenue. Pepper remembers two big trees on Cleveland Avenue  where the older men of the community used to sit and talk and share the community’s stories.

“That’s where the older guys would sit underneath that tree there and just talk about everyday life. That was the thing. You came home from school, seeing them guys in the summertime, sitting underneath there, just sitting there talking, or they’d have went out fishing or something and they would be sitting out there, and that’s where you heard all the stories.” ​

Many of the homes and businesses that were once on Cleveland Avenue are now gone, but one of the most important gathering places for the community still remains: the Elks Lodge.

The Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World issued a charter on March 29, 1923, which established the Pride of Delaware Lodge #349. William Saunders, father of Bobby Saunders and important leader and community member in his own right, was the first Exalted Ruler of this lodge. In 1938, Lodge #349 moved to its present location, the building at 57 West Cleveland Avenue. Over its many years, the Elks Lodge has provided important services to the community. The Elks Lodge was used as a place for the community to gather and socialize. Further, the Elks Lodge created leadership and community service opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise have been available to this neighborhood. In 1924, the Lodge also became host to the Elizabeth Boulden Temple, a woman’s organization with close ties to the Elks. Members of the community used to cook and sell dinners out of the Elks Lodge to workers at the Chrysler Plant who were on the second shift. In addition, the lodge would host bands and balls for the community. This particular Elks Lodge has not only seen its share of important history, but continues to be one of the community’s important centers for gathering and creating new endeavors. 

Just behind the Elks Lodge was the site of the former schoolhouse, mentioned in the introduction. Opened in 1901, the school was a two-story frame building that was erected to accommodate the growing student body at John Congo’s school on Corbit Street. The school, funded by and for the New London Road Community, served as the only primary school for black children until the opening of the New London Avenue School in 1922. After the move, the school became a community center and gathering place.

At the next intersection, turn left onto Creek Road, or what is now called North College Avenue. If you wish to do the complete tour and don’t mind walking about a quarter of a mile, continue up Creek Road until you see White Clay Creek, just past White Clay Drive. If you’d rather stay closer to the center of the community, turn left onto Ray Street and select Segment #6: Ray Street.

Welcome to White Clay Creek. This 18 mile long creek starts in Southern Pennsylvania and runs into northern Delaware. This creek is the northern boundary of the White Clay Creek Hundred, of which the New London Road Community is a part. What you are looking at now is probably very similar to how the creek looked throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; little has changed here, though much has happened. This creek provided food, water, entertainment, and, perhaps most importantly, spiritual fulfillment to the community.

Before the churches of the community built baptismal pools, White Clay Creek was the site of all of the community’s baptisms, which are important in any religious person’s spiritual journey. The baptisms were held at Flat Rock in the Creek. Myrtle Bond remembers coming here as a child to see the joyous baptisms, and recalls people wrapped in sheets being dipped in the water while those watching sang songs like “Take Me to the Water.” Arnold Saunders also remembers the baptisms.

“Well, back when we [inaudible.], it was done in White Clay Creek. They would go down and baptize into the creek. Then they built a baptismal pool in the church.”​

The creek wasn’t just a place for a spiritual journey. It was also a place for fun, swimming and relaxation. In the summer time, especially before the community had its own pool and could not use the pools restricted to the white people of the community, kids would come down to the creek to swim, splash and play. The creek became quite the amusement center. Alvin Hall recalls that

“we would ride up to the creek, which is down South College Avenue, and we used to go up there swimming, and that was basically a park that was open—I can’t remember who ran the park right offhand.  And they had a little concession stand up there, and that seemed to be the fun with Sunday to go to the creek and swim and enjoy yourself.”​

In addition, this creek would have been a fantastic spot for fishing and gathering water, essential components in maintaining this community’s ability to sustain itself, without help from the city of Newark. Though this spot looks humble and unassuming now, the waters, stones, trees and plants in front of you provided some of the most crucial elements to the community’s well being. ​

Now turn around and go back down Creek Road and turn right onto Ray Street.

You are now walking west along Ray Street, which ends at Dump Hill. This name comes from the fact that the hill was, at one time, a dump. The city leveled some of the dump and built an unpaved street, which originally did not connect with New London Road. Ray Street evolved into a thriving residential area, which housed a significant portion of the community’s population. Today, though, the University of Delaware has appropriated much of the street for its undergraduate housing. Although many of the original buildings have not survived, many community memories have. 

Violet Pettijohn, who lived in the Hollow, just north of Ray Street, remembers

“That’s where I lived, and right next to it they had a lane that went all the way down to the bottom of the hill. The only thing that’s still standing is a walnut tree, ‘cause the University got it too…Down in The Hollow was nice though. It had a nice big hill and we used to sled down there, all that stuff…They had a spring down there, and white people used to go down and get water out of the spring ‘cause it was cold, and we had pump water, and lots of times they came over and had some of that pump water.. We had a nice place, and a great big corner lot that went—it could have been a couple houses on that lot, and we used to have a garden, and he always had vegetables and stuff, and sometimes we’d give it away, and my grandmother always put up stuff.”​

Violet Pettijohn also talks about a spring nicknamed Boogie Run, whose name dates back on maps to the 1700s. Legend has it that on Halloween, the cries of a murdered baby can be heard in Boogie Run. Besides Halloween lore, community members recall sledding along Ray Street as well, a favorite winter pastime. Marva Smith and Denise Hayman recall 

"We used to also sled down New London and the older kids would build a fire down there by Boogie Run out of a tire and when we would come down the hill we would stop there and get warm and start all over again... that was the best fun you've ever had." ​

Further, Ray Street was the spot where you could find Mr. Cleveland Davis’ store and a beauty shop.  It was also a spot for community block parties and gatherings at a local juke joint. 

 Ray Street was home to some very accomplished persons. Kenneth Hall, whose house still stands on Ray Street, was a gifted athlete. Kenneth Hall was named as one of the best collegiate kickers and profiled by Sports Illustrated. Hall even tried out for the Chicago Bears. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Kenneth Hall was also one of the first black students to attend Newark High School, thereby contributing to the desegregation of the Newark school system. He also went on to attend college in Idaho. Kenneth’s mother died young, and so Kenneth was primarily raised by the Wilson family, who took him in to ease the burdens on a single father.

 The New London Road Community has produced a number of accomplished persons of whom the community is very proud.  Richard Wilson, son of George Wilson, was the first African American administrator at the University of Delaware and founder of the highly successful Upward Bound Program, which seeks to provide academic opportunities to underprepared students. This community was once also home to Clyde Bishop, American diplomat and former Ambassador to the Marshall Islands. Finally, Alice Wilson Adams, the first black nurse in Newark, lived here as well.   

 Once you reach the end of Ray Street, turn right onto New London Road and continue north until you are standing across the street from the George Wilson Community Center, at 303 New London Road. ​

You are currently looking at what is now the University of Delaware’s Laird Campus. The University has built dormitories, a cafeteria, a convenience store and a conference center here now. But before the University developed this land in the early 1970’s, this spot was a completely open area of land known as Green’s Field. Green’s Field was an important component of The Neighborhood.

According to community memory, this area was named for Mr. Green, who owned the land and would allow people to use it for a variety of purposes. Several black families also owned land in this area. Pedro Swann recalls that his family even did some hunting there, 

“When I grew up it was called Green's Fields, now that's where the University of Delaware high rise is. That's where we got most of our food from because these guys went over there and hunted deer, they hunted peasant, they hunted quail, stuff like that and that was stuff that hit our table… when I was going to school, that New London School, I would sit in the window and look out there and see the pheasant on the bank across the street…that's how abundant it was, but when the university started building there, all the pheasants started going up into Pennsylvania”​

Other people farmed small patches of the Field to help sustain the self-contained community. But all remember the Field fondly as a place to gather and play.

 Alvin Hall recalls that

“in the wintertime we had big snows, everybody would gather together—what we would call Old Green’s Field, which is the campus for the University of Delaware, and we’d all get there, and we’d go sledding down the hill and up the hill.”​

In addition to providing sledding grounds in the winter, in the spring, the New London Road school would hold 8th grade graduations in the Field. As Violet Pettijohn recounts,

“graduations were always so nice. We used to go out in the field, in Green’s Field, that’s what we called it, Green’s Field, because Mr. Green owned it, but that’s where the high rise for the University is now, and picked all the kind of flowers we could pick. We’d have a trellis of flowers. Graduations was really beautiful up there. All the years that I can remember of kids graduating before me, it was really wonderful.” 

But the memory that most community members share of Green’s Field is the blackberries. In the summer time, this field was ripe with sweet, juicy blackberries, that would be picked and turned into all sorts of delicious treats, such as pies and preserves. But it seems there may have been some competition to get the best blackberries! As Samuel Watson remembers,

“I mean they was some blackberries up in there, and Mom would tell me, go get her some blackberries and all these old women be out there picking blackberries and I had my bucket, looked like they’s picking the biggest ones, and I’d holler snake. I’d go over there and holler snake, and they’d take off, and I’d get over there on the good side and get some big blackberries over there.”  ​

Green’s field provided essential elements to the community’s well being, from fresh meat and produce, to fun times and pranks. The transformation here from life-giving and sustaining wilderness to highly developed residential and commercial space is astonishing. Now cross the street and walk to 303 New London Road, the George Wilson Community Center.

Welcome to what is now the George Wilson Community Center. This building was originally built in 1922 as a schoolhouse to replace the building on Cleveland Avenue. It was named the New London Avenue Colored School and is the longest standing testament to this community’s dedication to education. This school, composed of 4 classrooms and a cafeteria, was the only primary school available for black students in the area. All the children of the neighborhood from 1922 until 1958 were educated here through the 8th grade. In addition, this school has seen remarkable teachers in its time, such as Virginia Johnson and Odessa West. Alvin Hall attended the New London Avenue school:

“I went to New London Avenue School, and the books were basically the secondhand books that had four or five students names in them before we got them, but they were in pretty good condition, and the teachers seemed to stay with us, and we had first and second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, and at eighth grade you graduated and caught the bus to ride to Howard in Wilmington.”  ​

Not only did the New London Avenue School provide education for the community, but also the building and surrounding area functioned as a meeting place for the kids of the community. All the neighborhood kids used to meet up here to play games and sports, even after the school was shut down and boarded up.  Pepper recalls that,

“We used to go up there and play on the swings and stuff like that. It was always boarded up, cause we were in the old school house, and we used to hear stories about there. They used to say there used to be a — used  to say there was a ghost in here. Yeah, that’s what they said ‘cause they said it caught on fire one time and the janitor burned up in there. I think that was the story that the old guys made up so us young kids wouldn’t go in the building, an old building that was abandoned...."​

From 1922 until 1958, all black students in the area attended this school through 8th grade. But once they graduated from 8th grade, no high school in Newark would accept them. The closest high school for black students was Howard High School, now Howard Technical School, in Wilmington.  Listen as Bobby Saunders tells Denise Hayman in 1988 about going to Howard in the 1920s, 

“I live in a town of Newark where Black and Whites don’t mix. At that time we had Black history that was passed on by word of mouth… we had a Black high school in Wilmington we couldn't go to the school here because it wasn't integrated. I had to take a train from Newark old Station on Elkton Rd. to Wilmington to attend Howard high School…we had to walk 20 blocks from the station in Wilmington to Howard High…"

Bobby Saunders remembers the community was so invested in seeing its youngest generation receive a decent education that they organized carpools and bus services for high school students to get to and from Wilmington. No city-sponsored bus services reached the New London Road Community, so it was left to them to find their own way to a high school degree. Thanks to the efforts of many community members and their families, a high percentage of students from this neighborhood graduated from high school, and many of those students went on to college and graduate schools. 

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown versus the Board of Education that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional, meaning that schools had to be desegregated. Howard High School, where all the high school students in the New London Road Community attended, was one of the five named high schools in the suit. As a result, Delaware was one of the first states to experience desegregation. After the ruling, students from the New London Road Community attended Newark High School, with their white neighbors. In 1958 the New London Avenue Colored School was shut down.​

Today, this building houses the George Wilson Community Center. The swimming pool, which was built in the 1970’s, is open to the public, and a variety of classes, camps and activities are held here everyday. As you walk south on New London Road towards Corbit Street, listen to segment 9: Education and Businesses.

Education has always been important to this community. Not only did members of this community make every effort to ensure that their children were able to achieve a basic primary and secondary education, but they have also collectively supported the community members who chose to pursue higher education. This community has always recognized the value of attending college, and earning even higher degrees, and has supported each other financially and emotionally. Florine Henderson explains,

“We were a community that had so little.  Most of the adults in the community worked as domestics or construction workers. They worked for the University as custodians or the Newark special school district.  But when someone was ready to go to college, the entire community pulled their resources together and they gave everything they had to make sure that child had a college education.”

In June of 1951, Cora Berry-Saunders and Kathryn Hazeur, members of this community, received master's degrees in education from the University of Delaware. They were the first black people ever to receive degrees from UD. Many community members are alumni of the historically black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania as well. Since then, many other community members have gone on to receive advanced degrees, such as Dr. Denise Hayman, Dr. Patty Wilson and Crystal Hayman Simms. Regardless of the circumstances, this community has always ensured, through its best efforts, that everyone who wanted an education got an education.

In addition to valuing education, this community has always valued self-sufficiency and self-dependence. As a result, a large number of black owned businesses have developed and thrived within the New London Road Community. Two of them used to exist just next to the New London Road School, which you have just left. They were Bell’s Funeral Home and the Wagon Wheel, a social gathering place. Several community members have fond memories of the Bell family and these places. Arnold Saunders recalls that,​

“And we could go swimming, especially like on Saturday mornings I think like twenty-five cents.  And Mrs. Bell would bake cinnamon buns, and everybody, you know, that paid to get in got a chance to get cinnamon bun while you were swimming.  And I think on a Saturday morning in the summer, that’s where you could find just about every teenager or anybody that—the little ones, toddlers—that’s where everybody was going to the Bell Swimming Pool.”​

And Violet Pettijohn has fond memories of the Wagon Wheel: 

“It was wonderful. It was wonderful. You had to be twenty-one to go back up in there, but sometimes they had family picnics and things like that, and young people.  But they didn’t sell no liquor to nobody, but they had entertainment. It was just nice, and in summertime it was really wonderful because they’d have a baseball game over on the school, and it was just a party, wonderful, family place. It really was, and Miss Emily Bell could cook, cook, cook. She could really cook.”​

Emily Bell’s hospitality was so famous, it has actually been commemorated with Emily Bell Lane, where the funeral home once stood. 

In addition to the funeral home and Wagon Wheel, there have also been a number of other businesses here, such as a tea parlor, a beauty parlor, an ice house on New London Road, a beer garden, Mr. Bobby’s barber shop and café-gas station, a tailor shop, Mr. Cleveland Davis’ store and restaurant, and John Chambers’ liquor store. Many businesses were housed in people’s homes, such as the tea parlor at 50 Corbit Street, which was run by Clara and Archie Saunders;  the beauty shop at Sarah Hayman’s house on New London Avenue, and Mr. Bus’ Ice Cream shop. 

Now, continue south on New London Road and turn right at Corbit Street to go to Terry Manor. But make sure to have a look at the house on the south corner of Corbit Street. This house is on the site of the Congo School, started around 1860 by the Congo family to service the New London Road Community. Though the city of Newark did not provide schooling services to the community at this time, residents were so dedicated to education that the Congos established this school, and residents contributed funds to keep it running. This house was the site of the only available school for the New London Road neighborhood until it moved to a building on Cleveland Avenue in 1901.  ​

You are now walking around Terry Manor, a subdivision of houses that consists of Terry Lane, Kennard Drive and Wilson Street. Terry Manor was built in the 1950s by George “Inky” Wilson, one of the most influential men in this neighborhood, and the city of Newark. Before Terry Manor, most of the housing in the New London Road community was subpar, some houses even without indoor plumbing even into the 1970’s. George Wilson took on the mission to provide decent, middle class housing at affordable prices for the community. The first house Inky built was his own; Pedro Swann remembers,

“If you turn right onto church st. when you get all the way to the end of that [inaudible] there's a house, a brick house on the left, that was Inky's house he used to live in, that was the first house he ever built matter of fact that last brick…the James' live in there cause Inky had a house back there that he used to live in…That's the first house that Inky ever built.”​

Wilson borrowed housing plans from City Hall and salvaged building materials through his demolition business. Then he and a handful of local men began building houses, many of which still stand today. Wilson named the development and Terry Lane after his daughter and Kennard Drive after his two sons, Kenneth and Richard. Many of the first residents of Terry Manor were actually service men and their families stationed at New Castle County Airbase; these new families were embraced by the community. Other residents of Terry Manor included veterans, postal workers, teachers, and workers from the Chyrsler plant. Terry Manor is remembered by community members for the many fun times had there. 

But Terry Manor wasn’t George Wilson’s only contribution to the community. Wilson dedicated his life to improving living conditions for the African Americans of Newark. Wilson was the first and only African American elected to city council. Alvin Hall was directly impacted by Wilson’s election to the city council:

“Well, George was an outspoken and a major person in the community.  He did a lot of things to help the black area develop.  I know that through some of his legislation—all the houses in Newark used to have little outhouses, and after I was about maybe ten years old, when George got into council, all the outdoor houses were done away with, because the city came through with sewage, and then we were able to be hooked up to sewage, you know.”

George Wilson clearly cared about the community and did his best to make it an even better place to grow up and live in. But Mr. Wilson also had a bit of a sense of humor too, saying of himself

“I’ve always been a bit of a rebel.”​

Now go back out the way you came, cross over New London Road, go down Ray Street and turn right onto Rose Street until you can see Mt. Zion Church.

Welcome to the Mt. Zion Union American Methodist Episcopal Church. This church has a long and beautiful history and is one of the three active churches of this community. The UAME denomination was founded by Peter Spencer in 1813 as the African Union Church in Wilmington, Delaware, and was the first denomination completely under the control of African Americans in the United States. Eventually, the name changed to Union American Methodist Episcopal Church, or UAME.

Before the founding of Mt. Zion in 1868, congregants used to walk approximately 3 miles to St. Daniels UAME Church in Iron Hill. When Mt. Zion was established in Newark, services were first held in an abandoned blacksmith shop near Boogie Run. When the church was able to acquire land on New London Road, church members dismantled the blacksmith shop, and rebuilt it on that spot which is just across from us on New London Road now. Community members, both men and women, helped in the construction of that building. 

By the 1950’s, the structure on New London Road was falling apart and had to be repaired or rebuilt. In 1973, the state settled with the church in order to widen the road; the funds from that settlement allowed the congregation to rebuild Mt. Zion across the street from where it stood. Construction began in 1979, led by Inky Wilson, but the church faced many challenges in crossing the road.  After much toil and trouble, resulting in the entire community coming together to help rebuild the church, the current Mt. Zion opened its doors in 1981, lead by the Reverend George W. Pointdexter. 

Mt. Zion stirs many pleasant memories in current community members. Alvin Hall recounts that,

“Well, in the summertime, churches always held what they called Bible school, and most of the children around that area went to Bible school like in the morning from like nine o’clock to twelve or maybe from ten to twelve, and that was a good guidance I would pretty much say on the neighborhood kids, because they got in very little trouble.”  ​

And Arnold Saunders remembers how important church socials were, in all three churches:

“The big thing church socials, if one had it they all had it. Whatever socials they threw, all the churches was invited to come, and same as today. I was a great part of, Black religion is—when sanctuaries was built, they always built a place to eat, and eating was part of our culture, of saying that we love you, invite you in, and we had big, matter of fact, we’d go up on the school ground, and have big events, social events that the churches would put on, but one church wouldn’t borrow, another church would come and we were all together, just like the last one we just had.”​

Many other community members recall getting up on Easter Sunday to attend services at all three churches, starting with Mt. Zion at 5 am.

Mt. Zion currently runs a variety of ministries, chorus groups, Bible studies and Sunday schools. Services are held several times on Sunday.

Across Rose Street from Mt. Zion is a little but old cemetery. In this cemetery, you’ll find a variety of headstones, and even some unmarked sites. One community member, Bob Jones, used to engrave headstones for those who could afford such a service. Others would mix their own cement and carve the headstones themselves. Yet other people simply knew where their relatives were buried, and didn’t need a marker to go visit. Eddie Toulson used to put flags on the graves for Memorial Day in preparation for the 21-gun salute, which continues today. 

Now, continue down Rose Street, towards Cleveland Avenue. Turn Right on Cleveland, and stop at the corner of New London Road, where you can see St. John’s African Methodist  Church. You are now standing in the heart of the community. 

Across New London Road from where you stand now is St. John African Methodist Church, formerly one of the AUMP churches. St. John is the oldest church in the New London Road Community and, like its fellow churches, has a rich and long history. The AUMP denomination also grew out of Peter Spencer’s 1813 African Union Church, like Mt. Zion’s UAME. The AUMP chur​ch was originally a Methodist Protestant Church, but in the 1960’s switched to an Episcopal structure. 

This particular congregation was organized around 1848 and services were held in a log cabin that stood where the current structure is now. The log cabin was replaced in 1867 with the current structure, which was heavily remodeled in the 1960s. In 1890, St. John AUMP was officially incorporated, and finally renamed St. John African Methodist Church in 1996. St. John has always been dedicated to serving its community, providing spiritual education through Bible study and Sunday school, and remembering its members through memorials and tributes. Alvin Hall remembers attending St. John, regardless of his other activities: 

“I had to go to church.  Like at fourteen or fifteen I was playing ball and seemed to be a pretty good athlete and seemed like the Alco Flashes would request that I play with them, and I could not go play with them until I went to church, so a car from Wilmington would be there at my house, at twelve o’clock when church let out, and I would go get out of church.” ​

Reverend Steve A Wright, who has been with St. John since 2002, currently leads the church. St. John is active in the community and continues to be well attended, just as in 1848. 

The intersection where you are now standing, of New London Road and Cleveland Avenue, is the heart of the community. This spot has seen a lot of history. It has seen houses and businesses and schools come and go. It has seen students walking up the hill to school, and then students attending Newark High after desegregation. It has seen babies born in its houses and its elderly buried in the cemetery on Rose Street. But most of all, this spot has seen the love and friendship of a community, a neighborhood, and an extended family. When asked what she would want future generations to remember about this community, Marva Smith said,

“I like them to remember that this is a area that was a caring… This area is made up of residents who are caring people. Who cared not only for their immediate family but for the community as a whole. The people here were supportive of young people - they encourage them to get as much education as they could. To do well in whatever they are doing. But to never forget their family values that they have learned along the way. Because children today are not taught family values that I grew up with, what my mother grew up with. And they don’t know what they are missing and carry that in their background.” ​   

Arnold Saunders is proud of this community:

“You’d be amazed how what’s now [inaudible.], how educated that we got ourselves during that time.  We’ve got schoolteachers.  We’ve got principals that come out of Newark.  It’s just overwhelming, the talent that came out of that small village in Newark—pro football players, pro baseball players—how we persevered against all odds, and [inaudible.] how they survived with the little that they had.”​

 But Alvin Hall sums up the community and its history the best, explaining,

“One of the things that nobody knows about is the harmony of the community, how people lived so close together got along so well, and had no fear of the difficulties that you have today of crime, mischief that is done maliciously.  That didn’t go on in the black community during that time.”​

This ends our tour.  This walking tour would not have been possible without the time, patience and generosity of the community members who grew up here, who have leant us their stories, their voices and their pictures. We also would like to thank the Special Collections Library at the University of Delaware, the Newark Historical Society, Dr. Denise Hayman, Dr. Patty Wilson, Dr. Bernard Herman, Katie (Uehling) Holstein and Dr. Margaret Anderson, UD interim deputy provost.  We would also like to thank Crystal Hayman Simms, Marva Smith, Vicki Penn, Lindsay Saunders, Sylvester Woolford and Ardella Washington.

Thank you for taking the walking tour of the neighborhood. We hope that you have learned much about the history, love, and friendship that were created along these streets and can take home a newfound respect for the New London Road Community.