Nestled at the quiet yet historically rich intersection of Richardson Avenue and Second Street in Swedesboro stands a building that holds a powerful legacy within its walls, the Richardson Avenue School. Constructed during an era when segregation was law and inequality was normalcy, this school once stood as a symbol of the enforced divide between Black and White communities.
Opening in 1931, Richardson Avenue School was the state’s last “separate but equal” school that served the African American population in the Borough of Swedesboro until 1942. It is the only segregated school structure still standing in New Jersey.
Though born out of a time of injustice, the Richardson Avenue School has now come to represent resilience in the face of adversity, the enduring value of education under difficult circumstances, and deep-rooted pride of a community that refused to be silenced or forgotten.
The Richardson Avenue School was the most recently established “separate but equal” school in the borough of Swedesboro for African American residents. A “separate but equal” school was an educational institution in the United States, established during the late 19th century as part of a legal system that enforced racial segregation.
These schools were intended to provide equal educational opportunities for Black and White students, but they ultimately resulted in significant imbalances in resources and quality of education, with the Richardson Avenue School being a prime example of this.
Life and Learning On Richardson Avenue

Operated by the Swedesboro Board of Education, the Richardson Avenue School was originally a leased Masonic Hall, secured for $750 per year, and adapted to serve as an educational facility for African American children in the borough. The school consisted of approximately 140 students, with just a few classrooms and only three teachers to accommodate all the students.
The educators at the school were Miss Alberta Hardy, Miss Helen Freeman, and Miss Leona Gulley. In the documentary “Grace, Passion & Commitment” by The Historical and Educational Lodge-Hall Preservatory Inc., alumni from the Richardson Avenue School shared their memories.
Lillian C. Moore, who began attending the school as a fifth grader and remained until seventh grade, recalled her experience with the school’s staff fondly. “The teachers were very good. We got all the basic things that all the other children had. They were African American teachers who came by bus from Philadelphia every single day.”
During harsh winter months, if the weather was bad, local parents would often open their homes to the teachers, ensuring they could remain in town and continue educating Swedesboro’s Black children.
Moore’s family had deep respect for Miss Freeman, who taught the fifth, third, and fourth grades. To show their appreciation, her family, who lived on a farm, would bring Miss Freeman meat and seasonal vegetables.
“She was just so grateful for it,” Moore recalled.
Despite having beloved and hardworking staff, the school’s facilities were lacking immensely. It had no fire exits, limited bathrooms, poor heating, overcrowded rooms, and no playground for the young children.
These were major deficiencies when compared to schools for White children in the area. Moore, however, didn’t allow these disparities to discourage her. “I knew we would overcome and persevere someday, maybe not then, but someday.”
She added, “Like Martin Luther King says, ‘I had a dream’ that one day our little children will be equal with everybody else.” Despite its shortcomings, the Richardson Avenue School was a place of inspiration and excellence.
Many of its educators held master’s degrees and instilled a strong sense of discipline, pride, and the value of education in their students. Inspired by her teachers, Moore went on to become an educator herself.
The inadequate conditions of the school did not go unnoticed. Civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall approached the Swedesboro Board of Education about the school’s conditions, but his concerns were ultimately ignored. In 1940, the New Jersey State Board of Education condemned the building as unfit for use.
However, the Swedesboro Board of Education continued to use the space for two more years. It wasn’t until June 12, 1942 that the school was finally shut down.
Recognition of the Richardson Avenue School’s historical significance came decades later. On April 24, 1998, it was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, and shortly after, on June 18, 1998, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation efforts for the landmark have been led by H.E.L.P. Inc., a charity organization founded in December 1998.

HELP Inc. promotes programs to educate the public about the history of monumental African American sites in Swedesboro, including the Richardson Avenue School, Mt. Zion AME Church, and the Mt. Zion AME Church Cemetery, a site identified as part of the Underground Railroad.
With support from the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund and the New Jersey Historic Trust, the organization received an initial grant of $7,125 in 2000, along with another grant for $75,000 in 2004. HELP Inc. also received the Cultural Trust Historic Preservation Grant Award of $15,000 in 2004, which funded the first phase of restoring wood window frames and sash.
These grants helped the organization to complete the building’s exterior restoration in 2009. The exterior has been restored, but preservation is an ongoing process and expense, and the organization continues to take donations from anyone who would like to contribute.
Although the Richardson Avenue School closed in 1942, it would take another five years before New Jersey enacted its own law banning segregation in public schools, adopted in 1947. Nationally, progress was slower. It wasn’t until the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was declared unconstitutional. Even then, integration proceeded gradually, met with major resistance.
Today, the Richardson Avenue School stands not just as a statue of segregation but as a powerful monument to depict the perseverance of a community that endured systemic injustice and still chose hope, and in Moore’s case, to continue dreaming.
Richardson Avenue continues to inspire, educate, and remind all who pass by that progress is built on the courage and sacrifices of those who dared to dream beyond the barriers of their time. Today, it is not just an old school, but a place where the echoes of the past continue to inform and inspire future generations.
By Asiya Robinson