Mount Pleasant Historical Society
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THETA: A Unique Piece of Mount Pleasant
In
1971, the environmental club received funds to have a special jade
sculpture created for Mount Pleasant High School. Named for the
eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, Theta was on display in the
school lobby from the early 1970s until the school renovation of
1995. Lost in storage for a generation, the Mount Pleasant
Historical Society with cooperation from the 2008 environmental club
moved Theta from storage to a prominent display case in the school.
FAQ: Theta weighs 142 pounds, is 23 ½ inches high, 24 inches wide,
and 15 inches long. This unique piece of artwork was sculpted from a
green ornamental stone called jade.
GOLDEN KNIGHT: 50 Years in our Castle (1958-2008)
"This is to commemorate the 50 years of outstanding education within
our building located on Washington Street Extension."
Historical Marker Dedication
Superintendent Jim Scanlon, Mount Pleasant Historical Society
Chairperson Clint Dantinne, and State Senator Harris B. McDowell III
at the marker dedication on May 18, 2007
We received confirmation on June 15, 2006 that Delaware Senate Majority Leader Harris McDowell would sponsor the Mount Pleasant School historical marker. The original Mount Pleasant schoolhouse built in 1830 exists on the property of Bellevue State Park. The dedication ceremony for the marker was held on Friday, May 18, 2007 at 1 PM (layout design).
PRESS RELEASE DATED MAY 15
OFFICIAL PROGRAM FOR CEREMONY
LETTER FROM UNITED STATES SENATOR THOMAS CARPER
The text on the marker reads as follows:
MOUNT PLEASANT SCHOOL
On February 12, 1829, the Delaware Legislature passed the “Act for the establishment of free schools.†To meet the educational needs of the area’s youth, local residents formed a committee that purchased a parcel of land from Joseph Orr in 1830 for the purpose of “erecting a school house thereon, for the benefit of the subscribers residing in said District.†The school was used until 1865 when the building was purchased by Philadelphia merchant Hanson Robinson to add to his Woolton Hall estate in exchange for another lot and a new school building on the east side of Philadelphia Pike. The original school building was subsequently used as a residence in Colonial Revival style by William F. du Pont, Jr. as part of his greater transformation of the Bellevue estate. The structure came into state ownership in 1976 with the original acquisition of Bellevue State Park.
Delaware Public Archives – 2007 NC 170
Historical marker permanently mounted to granite slab
175th Anniversary Celebration
During our homecoming weekend in 2005, our community celebrated the
175 years of education since the
inception of the original Mount Pleasant schoolhouse.
On August 6, 2005, the News Journal featured our anniversary
ARTICLE PAGE 1
ARTICLE PAGE 6
On October 21, 2005, the Brandywine Community News reported on the
celebration weekend
ARTICLE PAGE 3
Anniversary display in Mount Pleasant High School lobby
Students standing by 175th Anniversary Banner
Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States when the Mount Pleasant School was established in 1830 [MDCCCXXX].
Little known fact: It only takes a generation
removed to lose historical facts. At the beginning of this Mount
Pleasant historical quest, no one really knew the history of the
school. At first, we thought the school would celebrate the 150th
anniversary in 2005 (see the Brandywine Community News article from
April 29, 2005). After much research, we all learned the true facts
pertaining to the original school and surrounding community.
The Mount Pleasant Hall of Fame
was derived through out historical society.
Listen to
THIS DAY IN DELAWARE HISTORY at 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM on
our high school radio station, Super 91.7 WMPH.
American
stories told through pictures at Arcadia Publishing