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Harpers Ferry’s Ties To Civil Rights Movement Showcased In New Documentary

Harpers Ferry was home to the second-ever meeting of a civil rights group that gave way to the NAACP. A new documentary in part highlights the town’s connection to the movement.

The historical importance of Harpers Ferry becomes clear on any drive across the town’s cobblestone roads. Museums, Victorian homes and storefronts shelved with old-time goods line each of the town’s winding streets.

Many West Virginians know Harpers Ferry as a hub of Civil War history, serving as the site of an 1859 abolitionist uprising led by John Brown and Shields Green.

But fewer people know that the town also played a seminal role in the 20th century civil rights movement. Now, a new documentary, which can be viewed for free on PBS Passport, aims to raise awareness of an often overlooked piece of American history with direct ties to West Virginia.

Origins Of A Black-led Civil Rights Group

In 1905, a group of Black civil rights leaders came together to form the Niagara Movement. Historians describe the group as a precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The group was founded by Black Americans in Canada, just outside of Niagara Falls. It aimed to address racial injustice in the aftermath of the Civil War, advocating against things like sharecropping, racial segregation and pervasive anti-Black violence across the United States.

For its time, the Niagara Movement was viewed as radical. It was run exclusively by Black civil rights leaders like W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe Trotter.

Curtis Freewill Baptist Church, one of the meeting places of members of the Niagara Movement, is located on Storer College Place in Harpers Ferry.

*Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Plus, it offered a countercurrent to accommodationist perspectives on racial justice, which encouraged Black Americans to temporarily accept segregation, better their communities and one day push for increased civil rights.

This revolutionary mindset is what drew the group to Harpers Ferry in just its second year. Beyond its ties to abolitionist uprising, the West Virginia town was home to Storer College, a historic Black college open to discussions on racial liberation.

“They felt safe to come to a Black college,” said Scot Faulkner, who co-founded a local organization called the Friends of Harpers Ferry National Park. Faulkner’s group serves as a liaison between current town residents and the national historic park.

“They saw a link between themselves as a force, basically an aggressive force on behalf of African American rights,” he said. “They felt common ground and common philosophy with John Brown and the more radical abolitionists going back into the 1850s.”

While visiting parts of the town, Faulkner said the group’s leaders even took off their shoes because they felt that they were walking on “sacred ground.”

Faulkner said that Harpers Ferry provided a stepping stone for early civil rights leaders addressing racial injustice at the turn of the twentieth century. But not everyone who visits the town is aware of this history, which can be overshadowed by the town’s Civil War ties.

Located in downtown Harpers Ferry, the Storer College Museum contains several displays on the history of Black education, as well as the Niagara Movement’s meeting in West Virginia.

*Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Shining A Light On The Niagara Movement

A new documentary titled “The Niagara Movement: the Early Battle for Civil Rights” released through Buffalo Toronto Public Media earlier this month tells the story of the Niagara Movement, from how it was founded to how it gave way to the NAACP.

Raymond Smock is a historian who serves as director emeritus of Shepherd University’s Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education. He also previously served as historian of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Smock contributed to the documentary, and hosted a screening of it on Shepherd’s campus earlier this month.

While the film doesn’t center on Harpers Ferry alone, Smock said it shows that the West Virginia town facilitated early civil rights discussions.

“This was an amazing meeting at a very historic spot where John Brown’s raid, some say, started the Civil War,” he said. “There was a great interest in holding this meeting.”

Still, Smock said that the Niagara Movement does not always get sufficient attention in contemporary historical discussions.

An exhibit on the Niagara Movement, an early civil rights organization, is located inside the Storer College Museum in Harpers Ferry.

*Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

“In the immediate vicinity, if you’re in Jefferson County, West Virginia, the Harpers Ferry meeting of the Niagara Movement is pretty well-known history,” Smock said. “But it’s not well known in most other parts of the state or the nation.”

Both Faulkner and Smock said that they hope the documentary helps people learn more about the Niagara Movement and civil rights history.

Much of this history can be discovered right in West Virginia, at historic Harpers Ferry sites like the Storer College campus and the Storer College Museum. The multi-level museum has exhibits dedicated to Black history, from the Niagara Movement and beyond.

For Faulkner, the ability to discover these pieces of American history on a simple walk through town is what makes Harpers Ferry great.

Harpers Ferry “was the philosophical and emotional link between the Niagara Movement in the 20th century and the abolitionist movement, especially the more forceful aspects of the abolitionist movement, of the 19th century,” he said.

“It was a really important melding of these two threads in American history, and certainly of the African American rights movement,” Faulkner said.

Biography Details Life Of Longest Serving Black Teacher At Harpers Ferry's Storer College

In 2017, Lynn Pechuekonis moved into her residence in Harpers Ferry, soon discovering it was the previous home of the longest serving Black teacher at the historical Storer College. Pechuekonis’ curiosity and research led her to create a biography about that teacher, William Saunders.

Reporter Shepherd Snyder spoke to her about the book, titled Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Snyder: Starting off, I was wondering if you could introduce yourself and go through the general premise of your book.

Pechuekonis: Hi, my name is Lynn Pechuekonis. I live in Harpers Ferry. And I moved into a beautiful home here and then discovered that it had been the original home of William A. Saunders, who was a professor at Storer College. And as I became more curious about who he was, my research turned into a book about his life from his birth in Louisa County, Virginia to formerly enslaved parents, to his death at age 93.

Snyder: For our listeners who might not know, can you talk about Harpers Ferry and its impact on Black history and culture?

Pechuekonis: Sure thing. So a lot of people think of John Brown when they think of Harpers Ferry and his raid, and it probably had some impacts on the town that he didn’t expect. By the end of the Civil War, there were quite a number of self-liberated African Americans, formerly enslaved people gathered in Harpers Ferry that I’ve seen estimates of 500 to 700 of.

The missionaries from the Free Will Baptist church up in the north had already sent people down here to start working with the formerly enslaved peoples, and Harpers Ferry seemed like an ideal place for a school. The school started out teaching children. And soon it was believed that we needed a normal school, and a school to teach teachers because the need for education was so great among the Black population. So the Baptists up north were able to convince John Storer to donate $10,000 and Storer College was begun. And because of Storer College, an even greater population of African Americans flocked to Harpers Ferry.

The school had a very progressive stance towards encouraging home ownership in the town. And so a number of black residents were able to purchase property and have homes on really good land up in the upper town area where it was not prone to flooding, like in the lower town. And there was quite a thriving Black community here from just after the Civil War until about 100 years after.

Snyder: You mentioned earlier this book is particularly about one professor from Storer, Professor William Saunders. I was wondering if you could go into why you had an interest in him, specifically. Why is he important?

Pechuekonis: Well, what I discovered was that Professor Saunders was the longest serving Black teacher at Storer College. So he was there from 1907. He retired in the 1940s, but continued to be an integral part of the school even after that. The president (of Storer College) called him once “A man of sterling worth and a friend of every righteous cause.” He was known for helping struggling students, he boarded students in his home. And he taught an amazing breadth of classes from math, science, to professional studies in teaching, to sociology, to history of West Virginia and even Bible courses. So it was really hard to earn a degree at Storer College in the 20th century without sitting through at least one class from Professor Saunders. And he also was just an incredible man who served in his community and was a leader throughout the area.

Snyder: Is there anything of interest or any particular anecdotes or stories people should know about Professor Saunders and his life?

One of the things that stood out to me was that he was well known across the state. When (historian and author) AB Caldwell wrote his “History of the American Negro in West Virginia”, Professor Saunders was included in that that work. He was also selected by two West Virginia governors to represent the state at the Negro National Education Congress in 1911 and 1915. He was painted by Black artist William Edward Scott, who was known for his portraits, and he was even included in “The Crisis”, the publication by William E.B. Du Bois for the NAACP. Saunders went to Bates College for his bachelor’s degree program, and even though it was a predominantly white school, he really excelled there and even became a football star during college.

Snyder: What was it like researching material about his life and getting material for this book?

Pechuekonis: So there was a bit of a challenge. Professor Saunders married another Storer College graduate, who was at least 12 years younger than himself. She was a teacher here in Harpers Ferry as well. She taught at the elementary school for Black children here, but they never had any children of their own. So there was nobody to save their photos and their papers, no direct descendants to speak with.

So really, I was left with looking at what’s in the public record and what had been archived at Storer College’s archives, many of which are held by the West Virginia University Library. Some are still held by the (Harpers Ferry National Historical) Park Service, which took over the Storer College property after it closed. And those records are just full of references to Professor Saunders. He was always, you know, leading prayers, teaching classes. Very early in his career here, he was a football coach. He played in the band and he performed in theater productions that the school had. So his name is sprinkled throughout the records all over the place, in Storer College records, and also in newspaper articles. And as I mentioned, AB Caldwell’s history includes a brief biography of him. I also found some interesting information from a biography that his grandniece’s husband wrote in a creative writing class at Storer College.

Snyder: Fast-forward to today, why should people care about Professor Saunders and Storer College? What do you think their legacy is in 2022?

Pechuekonis: I think it’s really important to understand history, understand that Harpers Ferry was not just about John Brown’s raid and the Civil War. There were a lot of really great people who lived here and who were involved with the college who wanted to see people get an equal education here. I know that the alumni of Storer College held it very dear. Often people refer to it as the Storer College bubble. And there was not just the campus, but the whole section of the neighborhood where African American residents felt safe. Even if they didn’t attend the school, young people came to Storer College, and it’s just a beautiful inspiring story that I I find incredibly interesting, I think others do as well.

Storer College’s 155th Anniversary Recognized

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is recognizing the 155th anniversary of the founding of the historic Storer College this weekend.

The college opened in 1867 as one of the first schools in the nation to offer an education to formerly enslaved people. It operated until 1955. To recognize the anniversary, Harpers Ferry is holding a ceremony with the Storer College National Alumni Association.

“If you want to look at a place that tells the story from the Civil War to civil rights, it’s Storer College,” Harpers Ferry National Park representative Leah Taber said. “It was one of the first educational institutions open to formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, and certainly the first in West Virginia. So it occupies a huge place in civil rights history.”

Taber said the creation of Storer College represents education as a right for all people, regardless of race or gender.

“As we think about who we are as Americans, one of the things that we cherish as a nation is the right to education,” Taber said. “When we think about how fundamental a right education is, Storer College fits right into that.”

The ceremony is set for Oct. 2 at the campus’ Soldier’s Gate from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Storer College alumni and other notables are set to speak at the event, including:

Storer College National Alumni Association president James Green, Jr.
Tyrone Brandyburg, Superintendent, Harpers Ferry NHP.
Cathy Baldau, Executive Director, Harpers Ferry Park Association.
Dr. Bondy Shay Gibson-Learn, Superintendent, Jefferson County Schools.
Greg Vaughn, Mayor, Corporation of Harpers Ferry.
George Rutherford, President, Jefferson County NAACP.
Lynn Pechuekonis, author of Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College.
Emma Dacol, producer/director of documentary Briscoe: Man of Science and Substance, about Storer professor Madison Briscoe.

Included in the ceremony is a ceremonial tolling of bells for Storer alumni who have passed away, with one of the alumni in attendance leading a candle lighting ceremony.

A program about Lockwood House, a former Civil War hospital and headquarters that became the center of the campus, is also scheduled for 3:45 p.m.

Eastern Panhandle Printmaker Highlights Historical Storer College Portraits In Art Exhibit

An Eastern Panhandle artist is displaying an exhibit this month based on photographs of students at Storer College, a historically Black college in Harpers Ferry that was created after the Civil War.

An Eastern Panhandle artist is displaying an exhibit this month based on photographs of students at Storer College, a historically Black college in Harpers Ferry created after the Civil War.

The exhibit displays six linoleum portraits, chosen from the West Virginia University Archives’ Storer College Collection in front of flashy wallpaper patterns.

The exhibit is on display each weekend in September at The Artists Gallery in Frederick, Maryland.

Rhonda Smith created the exhibit. She formerly taught printmaking for 30 years at Shepherd University and worked at the National Park Service in Harpers Ferry.

“It’s a little different than painting or drawing. It’s an indirect process, not a direct one,” Smith said about the printmaking procedure.

She says the placing of the portraits in front of these bold backgrounds represents Black students’ drive to be recognized.

“The education provided these individuals this opportunity to actually stand up and stand out and stand in front of the wallpaper, and be seen and be acknowledged for who they were and what they had achieved,” Smith said.

She also wants to bring light to a story that is not often told, and that not many locals know. Smith says the exhibit is also a way to educate those who visit about Storer College, one of the most prominent Black colleges of the time.

“It might be a way to get a different group of people to be curious, and to wonder a little bit more about that particular history, and then maybe to actually go to Harpers Ferry and Storer,” Smith said. “I think that’s what education is about — allowing people to stumble into and onto things.”

The exhibit is on display each weekend in September at The Artists Gallery in Frederick, Maryland. Shepherd University professor and author Dawne Raines Burke will give a lecture about Storer College at the exhibit on Sep. 18.

October 2, 1867: Foundation of Storer College in Harpers Ferry

On October 2, 1867, Storer College was founded in Harpers Ferry. It was established by the Freewill Baptist Church two years after the Civil War to educate freed slaves in the Shenandoah Valley.

Storer was integrated and coeducational from the start. Before present West Virginia State University was established in 1891, Storer was the only college open to African-Americans in West Virginia. Frederick Douglass served on Storer’s board of trustees and spoke on campus in 1881.

Over the course of its history, more than 7,000 students attended the private college. Storer’s curriculum advanced with its students. At first, students of all ages learned the basics of religion, reading, and ciphering. Students later studied industrial training, domestic arts, and education. Its graduates expanded educational opportunities for black children in West Virginia and went on to careers in medicine, law, the ministry, and pharmacy, among other fields.

Storer College survived until 1955, when declining enrollment, financial stress, court-ordered desegregation, and racial anxieties combined to close it. The school’s buildings are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and maintained by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

August 15, 1906: Niagara Movement Meets in Harpers Ferry

The Niagara Movement—an important civil rights group—held its first public meeting at Harpers Ferry’s Storer College on August 15, 1906.

The movement emerged from increasing philosophical differences between Booker T. Washington—the most powerful black leader of his day—and more radical intellectuals.

While Washington wanted to work more closely with the white community to improve African-Americans’ economic status, his critics—led by W. E. B. DuBois, William Monroe Trotter, and others—urged a more militant approach.

The one-year-old movement was named for an earlier meeting at Niagara Falls. The leaders chose Harpers Ferry for its first public meeting in honor of abolitionist John Brown, who’d led an ill-fated raid on the town’s armory in 1859.

The 1906 assembly included a barefoot pilgrimage to John Brown’s Fort, and DuBois dedicated the group’s mission to Brown. Although most of the Niagara leaders were not from West Virginia, J. R. Clifford—a graduate of Storer College and West Virginia’s first black lawyer and newspaper publisher—played an active role.

The Niagara Movement dissolved in 1911, when DuBois suggested forming a new interracial group: the NAACP.