A Somerville Story: Postal Clerk Frederick H. Moore, Sr.

 

In 1911, Frederick H. Moore, Sr. (1893-1960), became the 1st African American graduate of Somerville High School. His success in highschool is a tribute to the academic foundation he received in Somerville’s segregated grammar school, Public Colored School, No. 3.

The integration of Somerville High School gave Mr. Moore access to a 4-year program. This access made Frederick’s achievement on the Clerk Carrier Civil Service Examination possible. In 1913, Moore became Somerville’s 1st African American postal clerk, a position he maintained for 47 years.

Further reading:
Somerville as it really is. (1909)
Historical sketch of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church  by  Wheeler, B. F.
African American Experience: Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Pendleton Civil Service Act