21.3 Linear Feet, Summary: 21 ft. 4 in. (39 document cases, 5 in. each); (4 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (2 records cartons,
15 in. each); (1 small flat storage box, 3 in.); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.); (2 large flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in.
each); (1 card file box, 4 in.); (1 roll storage box, 4 in.)
Creator
Storer College
Location
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown,
WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Language
English
Abstract
Records of Storer College, West Virginia's first African American institution of higher learning, located in Harpers Ferry.
Types of records include correspondence, business papers, photographs, memorabilia, issues of the Storer Record (the Storer College newspaper), financial records, scrapbooks, bulletins, minute books, newspaper and magazine clippings,
diaries, motion pictures, and miscellaneous material. Includes records regarding the early years of the College, among other
topics. See "Scope and Content Note" and "Historical Note" for further information.
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.
Conditions Governing Access
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 at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Storer College Correspondence, Business Papers and Other Material, A&M
2621, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
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.
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
Niagara 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 Niagara Movement.
This historical note was sourced from the West Virginia Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.
Records of Storer College, West Virginia's first African American institution of higher learning, located in Harpers Ferry.
This collection contains both institutional records and personal papers related to the College.
Types of records include correspondence, business papers, photographs, memorabilia, issues of the Storer Record (the Storer
College newspaper), financial records, scrapbooks, bulletins, minute books, newspaper and magazine clippings, diaries, motion
pictures, and miscellaneous material.
Highlights of the collection include records regarding the early years of Storer College; correspondence and papers of Henry
J. McDonald, who served as president of Storer College president from 1899 to 1945; correspondence and other material regarding
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and correspondence and photographs regarding the service
of Storer College students during World War I and World War II.
The collection is organized into sixteen series, including:
Series 1. Correspondence and Business Papers; ca. 1865-1964; boxes 1-12, 15-18a, 19, 25-26, 29-30
Series 2. Storer Record -- Newspaper; 1892-1931, 1940, 1942; boxes 13-14, 18b
Series 3. Financial Records and Other Material; 1912, 1939, 1953-1954; box 18b
Series 4. Scrapbooks and Miscellaneous Publications; ca. 1875-1950; boxes 20a-20b
Series 5. Financial and Other Record Books; 1913-1955; box 21
Series 6. College Bulletin and Other Material; 1882-1951; boxes 21, 22, 24
Series 7. Student Affairs; 1907-1955; boxes 23a-23b
Series 8. Minute Books; 1898-1944; box 27a
Series 9. Newspaper and Magazine Clippings; 1895, 1920, 1947, 1963-1964; box 27b
Series 10. Miscellaneous; 1867-1897, 1922-1940; box 28
Series 11. Diary of Henry T. McDonald; 1899-1900; box 28
Series 12. Photographs; ca. 1870-1955; boxes 31-32
Series 13. General Correspondence; ca. 1854-1950; boxes 33-41
Series 14. Memorabilia; 1938, undated; boxes 42-45
Series 15. Motion Pictures; 1940s, 1946; box 46
Series 16. Oversize Photographs; ca. 1895-1955; boxes 47-4
Series 1. Correspondence and Business Papers, Boxes 1-12, 15-18a, 19, 25-26, 29-30
1865-1964
Scope and Contents
Contains administrative records, such as correspondence, minutes, reports, financial documents, legal documents, speeches,
clippings, and other material. Much of the material in this series is connected to the functioning of the President's Office,
and much of it is related to the administration of President Henry T. McDonald, who served from 1899-1945. Topics include,
among others, commencements, John Brown, legislation, local politics, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People), school curriculum, and WWI (letters from students), among others.
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
Storer College
1865-1869
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
Storer College
1872-1911
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3
Storer College
1922-1925
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
Storer College--Student Strike
1922
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
Storer College--Letters, Clippings, and Personal
1924
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6
Storer College--Letters, Clippings, and Personal
1924
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Assorted Letters
1920s-1930s
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 8
Storer College--Personal Papers
1919-1925
Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9
Storer College--Personal Papers
1919-1925
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 1
Storer College--Financial Papers
1926-1927
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 2
Storer College--Letters--Personal
1928
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 3
Storer College--Letters--Personal
1928
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 4
Storer College--Letters
1928-1935
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 5
Storer College--Letters, Programs, etc.
1932
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 6
Storer College--Senator Rush Holt--Letters
1937
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 7
Financial Reports
1937
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 8
Letters
1938
Mixed Materials Box: 2 Folder: 9
Letters
1938
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 1
College and Personal
1939
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 2
Mrs. E. Bird--Letters
1938-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 3
W.R. Dance--Letters
1938-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 4
Johnson--Letters
1932-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 5
National Education Association (NEA)
1938
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 6
NEA
1938
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 7
Student Council
1940
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 8
Student Council
1940
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 9
Hening--Letters
1940-1943
Mixed Materials Box: 3 Folder: 10
Letters
1940
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 1
Letters
1941-1942/09
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 2
Letters
1941-1942/09
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 3
Fraser--Letters
1941-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 4
Fraser--Letters
1941-1945
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 5
Hudson--Letters
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 6
Hudson--Letters
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 4 Folder: 7
College and Personal--Letters
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 1
Free Baptist Women's Missionary Society
1941-1943
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 2
Storer's 75th Anniversary
1942
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 3
Cook Hall
1942
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 4
J.A. Ramer--Letters
1943
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 5
Beall--Letters
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 6
Beall--Letters
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 7
President's Report
1905/04/26
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 8
Mrs. Howard S. Palmer--Letters
1940-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 9
Letters
1945-1946
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 10
Storer College--Mrs. L.F. Bennett--Letters
1937-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 11
Storer College--Stillman--Letters
1931-1938
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 12
Women's Commission at Storer--Mrs. M.P. Dyson
1941-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 13
Storer College--Walnut Grove Bank
1931-1935
Mixed Materials Box: 5 Folder: 14
Storer College--Miss B. Brodt--Letters
1940-1943
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 1
Storer College--G.M. Hudson--Letters
1937-1942
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 2
Storer College--G.M. Hudson--Letters
1937-1942
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 3
H.S. Myers--Letters
1928-1942
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 4
H.S. Myers--Letters
1943-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 5
President's Reports
1942-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 6 Folder: 6
President's Reports
1943-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 1
Storer College--A.W. Anthony--Letters
1920s-1930
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 2
World War II--Letters
1941-1944
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 3
World War II--Letters
1941-1949
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 4
Storer College--Gardiner--Letters
1938-1943
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 5
Eastern Panhandle Association
1936
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 6
Jefferson County Rehabilitation
1934-1947
Mixed Materials Box: 7 Folder: 7
Storer College--National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Chapter
Series 6. College Bulletin and Other Material, Boxes 21, 22, and 24
1882-1951
Scope and Contents
Includes publications by Storer College, including Bulletins and Catalogs, that document admissions procedures, courses of
study, curriculum, etc., in order to assist students and facilitate the operation of Storer.
Mixed Materials Box: 21 unfoldered
Ledger
1937-1946
Mixed Materials Box: 22 unfoldered
Catalogs
1936-1937
Mixed Materials Box: 22 unfoldered
Catalogs
1939-1951
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Alumni Programs
1943/06
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1882-1884
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1889-1891
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1897-1909
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1914-1915
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1927-1928
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletin
1931-1936
Mixed Materials Box: 24 unfoldered
Storer College Bulletins, Supplements, and Storer Sentinel
Series 9. Newspaper and Magazine Clippings, Box 27b
1895, 1920, 1947, 1963-1964
Scope and Contents
Includes articles and clippings regarding the education of African-Americans in the United States in general, and regarding
Storer Normal School, later Storer College, specifically.
Mixed Materials Box: 27b Folder: 1
The Morning Star, Boston, MA (photocopies) 30 May 1895
1895
Mixed Materials Box: 27b Folder: 2
News Clippings
1963-1964
Mixed Materials Box: 27b Folder: 3
Magazine Clippings
1963
Mixed Materials Box: 27b Folder: 4
Clippings and Other Material
1963-1964
Mixed Materials Box: 27b Folder: 5
Storer College Bulletin (one issue, "pictorial number")
Diary of Henry T. McDonald in holograph created in the first year of his presidency at Storer Normal School (5 1/2 in. x 11
1/2 in.; 89 pages). Includes observations regarding both his personal experiences and professional activities.
Includes numerous images of the students, faculty, facilities, grounds, and activities of Storer Normal School (later Storer
College). (Most of these photographs have been scanned and are available for inspection within the online West Virginia History
OnView catalog; see link in Instances.)