Croom’s School of Possibility: Learning Skills, Building Futures

The Croom Industrial and Agricultural Institute grew from St. Thomas’ Sunday School and was established by Susie Willes in 1903. Its purpose was practical and ambitious: to expand industrial, agricultural, and domestic education for African American children at a time when Prince George’s County maintained segregated schools.

The National Register record describes Croom as the only school of its type in the county. Students came from Prince George’s County, other parts of Southern Maryland, and Washington, D.C.—a reminder that Croom’s educational reach extended well beyond the nearby crossroads.

The school’s program included agriculture alongside cooking, household economics, sewing, and dressmaking. Students lived on the grounds, where they developed skills in agricultural and industrial subjects as well as household work. Education here was not separated from everyday life; it was preparation for greater choices and wider avenues of employment.

The institute faced financial difficulty and left Episcopal management in 1918. After a period of transition, Susie Willes reopened it in 1920 as the nonsectarian Croom Settlement School. The school continued serving African American students until 1952, before county school desegregation.

Today, the former school property is part of the St. Thomas’ Episcopal Parish Historic District, listed in the National Register. Some school buildings remain, though the property functions as a private residence. The lasting story is larger than the surviving structures: educators and supporters created a place where young people could build knowledge and useful skills.