'Continue Her Legacy': Norristown Renames School For Pioneer Alice Davenport

NORRISTOWN, PA — An iconic Norristown hero who left an unforgettable legacy upon the area's education system and community at large has been officially immortalized.

Gotwals Elementary School has been renamed Alice Davenport Elementary, in honor of the first Black schoolteacher in the history of the municipality. Davenport died at the age of 103 earlier this year.

"As the first Black teacher in Norristown, Alice Davenport's story is not just about what she achieved, but how she inspired others," a spokesperson for Montgomery County shared. "The school in Norristown, which as of today officially bears her name, will help continue her legacy for generations of learners to come."

County commissioner Jamila Winder joined other local and county officials to honor the renaming during a ceremony in Norristown Friday.

A lifelong area resident, Davenport was first hired as a teacher in 1952. In the midst of social upheaval and racial injustice, Davenport's decades-long career was a monument to progress.

Davenport's career was not limited to the classroom. She also founded and directed the Montgomery County Equal Opportunity Program. Her husband Horace Davenport, who died in 2017, was a judge and fellow community leader.

Officials said that Norristown is also renaming Thomas J. Stewart Middle School to Charles Blockson Middle School, in honor of the Norristown native and one of the world's foremost authorities on the Underground railroad.

Efforts had been underway for years to name major structures in town for either Blockson or Davenport. Despite Norristown's rich Black history, the George Washington Carver Community Center is one of the only buildings in town named for an African-American.

The newly named Alice Davenport Elementary School is located at 1 E. Oak Street.