Bell School, established in 1807, was the first school for African Americans in Washington, DC.[1][2][3] It was located near Providence Hospital. The school was founded by three formerly enslaved men: George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool.
George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool worked as caulkers at the Washington Navy Yard. The three men, who were formerly enslaved, co-founded and built a one-story school house.[4] Their school, the Bell School, was located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.[4][5] The original Bell School closed after few years due to a lack of funding. The school is considered to be Washington D.C.'s first school for African Americans.[4]
Bell co-founded the Resolute Beneficial Society, a society that supported health, education, and burial needs of Washington D.C.'s Black community.[4][6] The society successfully re-opened the Bell School in 1818.[4]