People, Locations, Episodes

Kelly Miller, Historian, and Educator born

On this date, we mark the birth of Kelly Miller in 1863. He was a Black historian and educator, born in Winnsboro, S.C. to a mother who was a slave and his father a Confederate soldier.

The Albany Enterprise Academy Begins

*On this date in 1863, we celebrate the founding of the Albany Enterprise Academy.  This was an Ohio school created for the education of Blacks.  A testimony to the intent of their curriculum can be found in paperwork issued on March 14, 1864; this broadsheet appeared in Albany, Ohio. It was distributed to “The Friends […]

George Washington Carver, Agriscientist born

This date marks the birth of George Washington Carver in 1864. He was an African American educator and innovator in the agricultural sciences.

Carver was born near Diamond, Missouri. He left home when he was about ten and eventually settled in Minneapolis and Kansas, where he worked his way through high school. Following his graduation from Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now Iowa State University), Carver joined the college faculty and continued his studies, specializing in bacteriological laboratory work in systematic botany.

Bowie State University is Founded

*On this date, in 1865, Bowie State University (BSU) was founded.  Bowie State University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Bowie State is Maryland’s oldest HBCU and one of the ten oldest in America. Bowie State is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.   Bowie State University […]

Lincoln College is Founded

*On this date, in 1865, Lincoln College was founded. This is a private HBCU college in Lincoln, Illinois. Lincoln College’s roots date back to the 19th century. Established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church but is now independent and has no formal church affiliation. A few other sites were possibilities for the institution; however, in December 1864, the […]

Margaret Murray, Educator born

*On this date in 1865, Margaret Murray was born. She was an African American educator and clubwoman.

Central Tennessee College is Founded

*On this date in 1865, we celebrate Central Tennessee College.  This was a historically black college (HBCU) in Nashville, Tennessee, founded by missionaries on behalf of the Methodist Church to serve freedmen.   In 1876, the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College was founded as the first medical school in the South for Blacks.  In 1900, […]

Virginia Union University is Founded

*On this date, in 1865, Virginia Union University (VUU) was founded.  This is a private, historically black university (HBCU) in Richmond, Virginia. It changed its name in 1899 after merging two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary.  Both were founded after the end of the American Civil War by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. In 1932, Hartshorn Memorial College, a women’s college, merged with VUU.  The university […]

Western University (Kansas) is Founded

*The founding of Western University (Kansas) is celebrated on this date in 1865.  This was a historically black college (HBCU) established as the Quindaro Freedman’s School.   Located in Quindaro, Kansas, it was the earliest school for Blacks west of the Mississippi River and the only one in Kansas.  The town was started in 1856 by […]

Janie Barrett, Educator, and Welfare Worker born

*On this date, Janie Porter Barrett was born in 1865. She was an African American welfare worker and educator. Barrett developed a school to rehabilitate previously incarcerated African American girls by improving their self-reliance and discipline.

Storer College Begins Classes

*As Fall semesters begin in America, we celebrate the founding of Storer College on this date in 1865.    Storer College was a historically black college (HBCU) located in Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Originally sent up as a normal school to train black teachers, it operated until 1955.  The school was established after the American Civil War with the help of philanthropic Baptists from […]

The Avery Normal Institute is Founded

The founding of Avery Normal Institute in 1865 is celebrated on this date. Located in Charleston, SC, Avery Normal Institute was a nationally recognized African American educational institution that trained young adults in professional careers and leaderships roles for nearly 100 years.

The Abraham Lincoln School opens.

*The Abraham Lincoln School opened on this date in 1865. This school was for freedmen after the American Civil War. It was in New Orleans, LA., on the campus of the University of Louisiana (predecessor to Tulane University). It opened under the supervision of Rev. Thomas W. Conway, an assistant commissioner of the Freedmen Bureau. Attendance was […]

Talladega College is Founded

*On this date in 1865, Talladega College was founded.  They are a private Historically Black College (HBCU) in Talladega, Alabama. They are Alabama’s oldest private HBCU. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits it.  The history of Talladega College began when three former slaves, William Savery, Thomas Tarrant, and Ambrose Headen of Talladega, met at the convention with a group […]

Shaw University is Founded

On this date in 1865, Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, a private, coeducational institution, was founded. Shaw is the first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) founded in the South, and one of over 100 in the America.