Home of Jennie Davis Porter

first female Black school principal in Cincinnati

This modest 1928 house in Walnut Hills was once home to Jennie Davis Porter, who helped to establish the Harriet Beecher Stowe School in 1914 and became its principal, the first Black woman to become a principal in Cincinnati. The school became known as the premier African American school in the city.

In 1918 while already her 40s, Porter enrolled at the University of Cincinnati earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and becoming the first Black woman to earn a PhD from the school.

Porter’s dissertation argued for the value of segregated education. Her position drew much criticism, but she nonetheless created important educational opportunities for her Stowe School students.

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