Original 1877 Photograph of Storer College Staff and Students: Early African American College and Birthplace of the NAACP

African American, NAACP

Original Photo

[African American EDUCATION] Storer College is one of the most seminal institutions for the secondary education of freed African Americans located in Harpers Ferry, which Frederick Douglass described as the town where the 'end of American slavery began." Starting in 1865, it was the birthplace of the NAACP, and one of the only institutions to provide teaching education to black students. Scarce 1877 albumen photograph of many students and important founding staff members stationed in front of the Boy's Boarding Hall, which provided sanctuary to many traveling students seeking opportunity. Silver print, Harpers Ferry, WV, 5 February 1877. Size 3 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches, on original plain mount; gift inscription on verso. This photograph is captioned on verso "Storer Normal School students sitting in the shadow of the Boys Boarding Hall on the north side. Mrs. E. Morrell from Uncle Aleck." The handwriting matches that of the Rev. Alexander Hatch Morrell (1818-1885), a central figure in the school's early years. He appears to be seated in the front row of this photograph, the white-bearded man third from the left. Storer College grew out of a humble school for freedmen in Harpers Ferry which was established in 1865. It was chartered in 1868, and became an important locus of the early civil rights movement, in part because of its proximity to the site of John Brown's raid. Frederick Douglass delivered an important speech on John Brown there in 1881, the NAACP was born there in 1906, and John Brown's Fort was relocated to the campus in 1909. The school closed in 1955, and the campus is now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The school lost federal funding after Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in schools. Storer couldn’t afford to stay open and closed in 1955, but the legacy of the school continues to live on and it's prime days captured in this spectacular photograph. Minor wear to edges, overall very good condition.

Item #18707

Price: $1,400.00