No special access restriction applies.
Researchers may access digitized materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department.
Storer College of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, emerged from the aftermath of the Civil War with the purpose of educating former slaves who were now facing the world with few skills and no education. It began in 1865 as a school in the Lockwood House, a private residence, with the support of the Freewill Baptist Home Mission Society of New England under Reverend Nathan Cook Brackett; in 1867 it officially became Storer Normal School, with the mission of training teachers; and in 1938 Storer became a College. The College closed in 1955 due to declining enrollment, financial problems, and the advent of desegregation.
Although there were dedicated teachers in the beginning, by 1867 there were still only 16 instructors to educate 2,500 students. Reverend Brackett realized the only way to reach all of the students was to train African American teachers, thus necessitating the expansion of the school into a teacher college.
The philanthropist John Storer from Maine came forward and offered a $10,000 grant to the Freewill Baptists to create a teacher college under three conditions: first, the school must eventually become a degree-granting college; second, the school had to be open to all applicants, regardless of race or gender; and finally, the most difficult of the prerequisites, the Freewill Baptist Church had to match his $10,000 donation within a year. After a year-long effort the money was raised, and Storer Normal School opened its doors; and by March 1868 it received its state charter.
In the beginning local residents were resistant to a "colored school" and tried to shut it down through slander, vandalism, and local politics. One teacher wrote, "it is unusual for me to go to the Post Office without being hooted at, and twice I have been stoned on the streets at noonday." The attitudes of local residents eventually changed, however, so that later in his life Reverend Brackett became a respected citizen of Harpers Ferry.
Though Storer remained primarily a teacher college, in time it began adding courses in higher education to its curriculum so that students could graduate with a normal degree for teaching, or an academic degree for going on to college. In 1938, under the leadership of school president Henry T. McDonald, Storer became a college. Its enrollment peaked at around 400, and then dipped lower during World War II. The College survived until 1955 when declining enrollment, financial stress, and court-ordered desegregation combined to close it.
In addition to its progressive role in educating African Americans, the College became associated with other advocates of civil rights, such as Frederick Douglas, who visited Storer Normal School in 1881 to deliver a speech on John Brown, and the Niagra Movement led by William Du Bois, who held a conference at Storer in 1906. The NAACP was later to adopt many of the goals of the Niagra Movement.
[This historical note was sourced from the West Virginia Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.]
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Storer College Administrative and Operational Records, A&M 1322, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
1131, 1168, 1322, 1471, 2621
Records of Storer College, West Virginia's first African American institution of higher learning, located in Harpers Ferry. This collection contains mainly administrative and operational records of the college. Types of records include annual reports, publications, memorabilia, artifacts, and other material. This collection includes material regarding John Brown's Fort.
The collection is organized into eighteen series, including:
Series 1. Correspondence; 1865-1953; boxes 1a-61 (73 containers)
Series 2. Miscellaneous Correspondence; 1892-1957, undated; boxes 62-72 (14 containers)
Series 3. Individual Correspondence; 1920s-1950s; boxes 73-85b (25 containers)
Series 4. President's Reports; 1907-1955; box 86a, folders 1a-4 (partial container)
Series 5. Board of Trustees; 1926-1960; box 86a, folder 5-box 87b, folder 2b (2 containers, 2 partial containers).
Series 6. Dean of Women Reports; 1939-1944; box 87b, folder 3 (partial container)
Series 7. Executive Committee; 1924-1957; box 88a - box 88b, folder 1 (1 container, 1 partial container)
Series 8. Woman's Commission; 1937-1948; box 88b, folder 2 (partial container)
Series 9. By-Laws; 1867-1953; box 88b, folders 3-4 (partial container)
Series 10. Faculty; 1940s-1950s; boxes 89-90 (2 containers)
Series 11. Printed Material; 1920s-1950s; boxes 91-92 (2 containers)
Series 12. Student Records; 1890s-1950s; boxes 93a-122, 137-138 (35 containers)
Series 13. Financial Records; 1867-1956, undated; boxes 123a-136, 139-159, 164-169 (45 containers)
Series 14. Miscellaneous; 1884-1950s, undated; boxes 159-162, 175 (4 containers, 1 partial container)
Series 15. Newspaper -- Storer Record; 1892-1943; box 163 and microfilm reel (2 containers)
Series 16. Scrapbooks; 1870-1941; boxes 170-172b (4 containers)
Series 17. Alumni flags; undated; box 173 (partial container)
Series 18. Oversize; 1916-1952; box 174 (1 container)
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
This series contains administrative correspondence of Storer College. This series includes correspondence regarding Storer College alumni, the annual Alumni Drive, and other topics related to the graduates of the college; correspondence regarding West Virginia state agencies, including the Department of Education; correspondence regarding the construction and renovation of Storer College campus buildings; correspondence regarding post-war education and the GI Bill, including letters between Storer College and the Veterans Administration; correspondence regarding prospective students and enrollment data; correspondence regarding publicity and public relations; correspondence regarding conferences and conventions, including a number of Baptist associated organizations; correspondence regarding the John Brown memorial and John Brown's Fort; as well as correspondence regarding other topics.
This series contains miscellaneous correspondence of Storer College, including originals, typescripts copies, and ephemera, organized by year.
This series contains correspondence between Storer College officials and individual correspondents, including trustees, employees, and alumni, organized alphabetically by the name of the correspondent. This series includes originals, typescript copies, and ephemera. A minority of folders includes notes with explanations of their contents or importance; these notes were appended by President Henry T. McDonald or another Storer College official.
This series contains the annual reports of the President to the Board of Trustees regarding enrollment, attendance, graduation, fundraising, use of buildings, improvements to the campus, teachers, academics, John Brown's Fort, needs, plans, and other topics.
This series contains the records of the Storer College Board of Trustees, including meetings, minutes, correspondence, form letters, and other material.
This series contains the reports of the Dean of Women, Elizabeth M. McDonald, concerning Storer College's female students.
This series contains the records of the Storer College Executive Committee, including minutes and other material.
This series contains the minutes of the Woman's Commission of Storer College regarding the creation of the commission, and its responsibilities, fundraising activities, and accomplishments, among other topics.
This series contains copies of the charter and by-laws of Storer College, including amendments and the proposed by-laws of the Storer College Trustees. Also contains transcriptions of early Storer College documents (1867-1909) among other material.
This series contains records regarding the faculty of Storer College, including the minutes of faculty meetings, the proposed constitution of the Storer College faculty, correspondence, personal data of faculty, data on prospective and former faculty members, ephemera, and other material.
This series contains various types of printed materials regarding Storer College events and other subjects. This series includes programs (football programs, freshmen week programs, vesper hour programs, movie programs, and miscellaneous), calendars, President's newsletters, printed notices, form letters, news release and publicity materials, commencement materials, and other material.
This series contains records regarding the students of Storer College, including correspondence and other material regarding student veterans and the Veterans Administration; newspaper clippings; photographs and photographic negatives; student transcripts; records and correspondence of African students; records regarding tests and exams; records of students alphabetized by name; and other material.
This series contains financial records of Storer College, including subject files arranged alphabetically by topic; Friends of Storer College donor lists; student accounts; budget reports; ledgers; checks books; cash books; account books; registers from John Brown's Fort; and other material.
This series contains miscellaneous records of Storer College, including private correspondence between President Henry T. McDonald with the Kiwanis International; pamphlets, programs; conference reports; notebooks; address books; a "Save Storer" rubber stamp; and other material.
This series contains issues of the Storer College newspaper the "Storer Record". The "Storer Record" is also available on microfilm, with issues dating from 1892 through 1943 available.
This series contains six scrapbooks regarding Storer College. Scrapbooks contain programs, clippings, invitations, form letters from college officials, and other material. Topics include commencement and graduation exercises, prize declamations, concerts, and sporting events, among others.
This series contains one large felt flag decorated with white felt letters reading "Storer Alumni" and a number of small felt pennant flags decorated with the Storer College crest and motto.
This series contains oversize records from Series 1, Correspondence (box 21); Series 3, Individual Correspondence (box 82a); Series 13, Financial Records (boxes 132, 140, and 141); and Series 14, Miscellaneous (box 160).