29 Facts About Storer College

Storer College was a historically black college in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, that operated from 1867 to 1955.

Storer College began in 1865 as a one-room elementary school, sponsored by New England Free Baptists and the Freedmen's Bureau.

From this beginning as a one-room school for freedmen, Storer developed slowly into a normal school, an academic school, then a two-year college, and finally a full-fledged, degree-granting four-year college open to all.

Storer College remained Storer's Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees until his death in 1910.

The Storer College received the land these buildings were on, which became its campus.

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When founded and for most of its existence, Storer did not offer what in the 21st century would be deemed a college education or college credits.

Storer College was the first school for Blacks, ex-slaves or freeborn, in the new state of West Virginia, that was more than a one-room, one-teacher, "ungraded" operation .

Storer College spent much of its early years teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, as almost no one else in the state was providing this instruction to Blacks.

In 1938 Storer began offering a curriculum that would lead to a four-year college degree.

Support of the Storer College was the largest single endeavor of the Free Baptists, to which they were "thoroughly committed".

From 1882 to 1892, Storer College received $630 from the State of West Virginia, to provide "industrial-type training for Negroes".

Storer College's charter aroused intense and violent opposition, and passed by one vote.

Storer College graduates were found "in other important schools all over the state", and from Maryland in the northeast to Texas in the southwest.

Storer College was a site of various important events in West Virginia and national African-American history.

Storer College's intent was to raise funds for an endowed John Brown professorship, to be held by a black man.

Storer College was a New England project, or a Black project, but it was not a West Virginia project.

The Storer College Trustees chose to retain the religious affiliation and to keep the school open to all.

Storer College never achieved regional accreditation, and its new three-year pre-med degrees were not accepted at medical schools.

The Legislature [described as "unsympathetic"] said the appropriation was intended to finance studies by Negro students at Storer but is unnecessary because Negroes now are eligible to enroll at other state colleges.

Storer College had been accumulating debt for a decade, and could not survive without the state appropriation.

Understanding that former slaves needed to learn more than the three Rs to function in society, Storer College founders intended to provide more than a basic education.

In 1921 Storer College was granted junior collegiate status, although it did not award Associate degrees until 1937, and in 1945, senior status.

Storer College strongly advocated manual-labor education, overseeing major aspects of the school's transition.

Storer College then joined the faculty of Storer, establishing the Industrial Department, teaching carpentry as well as Greek, Latin, and mathematics.

Storer College was a trustee of Storer from 1891 until 1906.

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Under him, Storer College hired additional Black faculty; some white faculty had a problem with this.

In 1881, a report of the Free-Will Baptists indicates that at Storer College there were 200 enrolled students, 62 graduates, level unspecified, and the total number who had enrolled at some time was 800.

In 1872 Storer College started its first academic, four-year department, the Seminary Course [high school]; it taught classics, including Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare, along with astronomy, algebra, geometry, and botany.

Archives of Storer College are located at the WVU Libraries, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.