St. Joseph's Industrial School
a.k.a. CRS no. K-5054
355 W. Duck Creek Rd., Clayton, DESt. Joseph's Industrial School, located on Duck Creek Road near Clayton, Kent County, Delaware is being listed on the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C, for its historical importance as an educational institution for young African American men during the time of segregation, and for the architectural significance of the Chapel, a sophisticated example of an Italianate style, basilica-form church, expressed in wood and built in 1896. Founded by the St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart of Catholic Church, the St. Joseph's Industrial School provided an opportunity for "worthy" African American boys with up to five years of industrial training, and secular and religious education beyond elementary school.
The Josephite Order of the Sacred Heart was founded with the mission of evangelizing to the African-American population through education and social service. In Delaware, the Josephite Fathers, through the leadership of Father John DeRuyter, established a mission presence with a complex in Wilmington with the St. Joseph's Church (NR pending), rectory, convent, and orphanage (last three non-extant), located on French Street. Beyond evangelization, these priests were concerned with the welfare of the African-American community in America, and they employed strategies used by others to successfully bring their disadvantaged student population into society as self-sufficient and productive members.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.