Tag: Camp Washington-Carver

July 12, 1980: Educator John W. Davis Dies in New Jersey

Educator John Warren Davis died in New Jersey on July 12, 1980, at age 92. The Georgia native moved to Kanawha County in 1919 to become president of what was then called West Virginia Collegiate Institute. 

He quickly bolstered the school’s faculty and curriculum, making it one of the first four black colleges in the United States—and the first public college in West Virginia—to be accredited. In 1929, it became West Virginia State College—and is now a University.

Under Davis’s leadership, West Virginia State College was one of the nation’s leading black colleges. The college developed the Washington-Carver black 4-H camp in Fayette County, established a field artillery ROTC program, and trained black pilots, several of whom became Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.

Davis stepped down from West Virginia State in 1951, after 32 years at the helm. In 1954, he joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he worked with Thurgood Marshall on lawsuits related to desegregation and other civil rights. In later years, John W. Davis was one of the nation’s leading spokesmen for black higher education.

July 26, 1942: Camp Washington Carver Dedicated

Camp Washington-Carver was dedicated as West Virginia’s black 4-H camp on July 26, 1942. Named for Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, the camp is located at Clifftop in Fayette County.

It was the first 4-H camp for African-Americans in the country, and its Great Chestnut Lodge is the largest log structure in West Virginia and one of the largest in the nation.

The camp was built under two New Deal programs: the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. It originally included the lodge, a guest cottage, a water tank, a pond, two dormitories, a swimming pool, and a bathhouse.

During the years of racial segregation, Camp Washington-Carver sponsored summer 4-H camps, Boys and Girls State, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps, mining and home economics camps, and church camps for African-Americans. It also served as an off-campus learning center for West Virginia State College (now University) until 1979.

Since 1979, Camp Washington-Carver was has been managed by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, which hosts various reunions throughout the summer as well as the popular Appalachian String Band Music Festival.

Camp Washington Carver Dedicated: July 26, 1942

Camp Washington-Carver was dedicated as West Virginia’s black 4-H camp on July 26, 1942. Named for Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, the camp is located at Clifftop in Fayette County.

It was the first 4-H camp for African-Americans in the country, and its Great Chestnut Lodge is the largest log structure in West Virginia and one of the largest in the nation.

The camp was built under two New Deal programs: the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. It originally included the lodge, a guest cottage, a water tank, a pond, two dormitories, a swimming pool, and a bathhouse.

During the years of racial segregation, Camp Washington-Carver sponsored summer 4-H camps, Boys and Girls State, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps, mining and home economics camps, and church camps for African-Americans. It also served as an off-campus learning center for West Virginia State College (now University) until 1979.

Since 1979, Camp Washington-Carver was has been managed by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, which hosts various reunions throughout the summer as well as the popular Appalachian String Band Music Festival.

Exit mobile version