Celebrating the Legacy of African American Bus Drivers in Worcester County: Breaking Barriers and Driving Change
- Snow Hill African American Heritage Society
- Feb 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 25, 2024
Walking the long road, traveling by bus
This Paving the Way segment is on school transportation for African American students in Worcester County. From the 1870s to the 1930s, bus transportation was not provided. Many students sometimes walked 3, 4, and 5 miles daily to school. Also, some students came to school by horse and buggy or cart, and later on by truck. It should be noted that teachers walked the same distance as students in some cases.
Around the early 1930s, African American bus contractors began to emerge. The first African American bus contractor was given to Charles Henry of Berlin in 1936. According to Joseph Purnell, it was a four-wheel bus. The picture below is an image of a four-wheel bus.
National Museum of History
Elwood Waters was the first African American bus operator in Snow Hill. Starting in 1944 - 1945, 10 African American bus contractors transported students to and from Worcester County. Bus drivers were spread throughout the County. The bus drivers had routes in Snow Hill, Girdletree, Stockton, Pocomoke, Berlin, Synepuxent, Germantown, Newark, Whiton, etc.
In the 1940s, the buses that transported students to school, particularly in Snow Hill, were quite different from what it is today. For instance, one bus had two long benches with a middle aisle and students sat facing each other (Bernice Blake interview, 2023). The picture below is a replica of what the bus may have looked like inside.
Virginia Museum of Transportation Roanoke, VA.
From 1987 to 1988, there were 70 bus contractors and from 1999 – 2000, there were 69 bus contractors. Today, we continue to see dedicated bus drivers transporting students to and from school, athletic events, and field trips.
We salute our bus drivers of yesterday and today for paving the way!
1930s Bus Contractors/Drivers
Charles Henry Sr
Elwood Waters
James Waters
Leroy Smith
Joseph Purnell
1944 - 1945 Bus Contractors/Drivers
Elton Wise
James Matthews
Daniel Archer
George Archer
Elwood Waters
James Waters
Walter Collick
Louise Henry and Son
Charles Hudson
Upshur Coard
1950s - 1960s Bus Contractors/Drivers
Harold Chapman
Powell Marshall
Harrison Matthews
Howard Showell
Bus Contractors/Drivers (1937-2000)
Sources:
Ash, L. (1992). From Hickory Stick to Computer Chip. Worcester County Retired Teachers
Association. The Printers Inc. Salisbury, MD.
Lois Bishop Collection: New Worcester High School Junior & Senior, 1953 – 1970. The Ninth
Annual Joint Worcester High School Reunion, March 18, 2000. Picture Insert: Pocomoke Chapter.
Worcester County Library
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