The school was founded by three formerly enslaved men: George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool.
George Bell, Nicholas Franklin, and Moses Liverpool worked as caulkers at the Washington Navy Yard.
The three men, who were formerly enslaved, co-founded and built a one-story school house.
[4][5] The original Bell School closed after few years due to a lack of funding.
[4] Bell co-founded the Resolute Beneficial Society, a society that supported health, education, and burial needs of Washington D.C.'s Black community.