HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (DC News Now) — Storer College in Harpers Ferry is one of the hidden gems of West Virginia history. It has a special mountain state and Black history heritage and celebrates its 155th anniversary this weekend.
“If you want to look at a place that you see the full range of civil war to civil rights, Storer College is that. Harper’s Ferry is one of the gems when it comes to the history of African Americans in this country,” said Leah Taber with the National Park Service.
Storer has an impact in more than the classroom.
“Particularly on weekends I remember very fondly the sock hops that we had on Friday night,” Jackson Foster recalled.
The school helped bridge the racial divide of the day. Tanya Dallas Lewis, an educator, said that the “community came together, both white folks and black folks, to insure that there was equitable educational access.”
The school’s legacy has made a dramatic impact. Raegan Wills, the Black Student Association president, said the idea that so many people could grow and learn just because of one amazing place is “just so super awesome.”
There are big plans for the weekend’s anniversary observance. According to James Green, Jr., president of the storer college national alumni association, the weekend will “reflect on the past achievements of the students. It also gives us the chance to look at the historic events that happened here.”
The civil rights activism here is the basis for what later became the NAACP. A monument to John Brown, who led an uprising in Harpers Ferry to free slaves, also lies on the grounds of Storer College.