Wilberforce in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Galloway Hall
At the turn of the twentieth century, increased enrollment in the Combined Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce University (which later became Central State University) spurred construction of new teaching and dormitory facilities. Galloway Hall, which included an auditorium and a tower with chimes and a clock, was completed in 1906. Many famous personalities performed in Galloway Hall's auditorium, including the renown opera singer Leontyne Price; Robert McFerrin, the first African American male lead with the New York Metropolitan Opera; actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis; comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory; and composer and conductor Duke Ellington. Noted authors and intellectuals addressed audiences there, including historian John Hope Franklin; writer, poet, actor, and playwright Maya Angelou; Lerone Bennett, author, historian, and editor of EBONY Magazine; and writer and essayist James Baldwin.
[Marker Reverse]:
Other notable people who spoke to audiences in the Galloway Hall auditorium include prominent figures in the Civil Rights Movement such as Thurgood Marshall, then senior legal counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and later Supreme Court Justice; Daisy Bates, journalist, president of the NAACP, and “advisor” to the “Little Rock Nine,” and A. Phillip Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Galloway Hall was named for Dr. William Galloway, who served as president of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department's Board of Trustees. In 1974, only the tower remained of Galloway Hall when the famed Xenia tornado cut a wide swath through Greene County and destroyed the building.
Erected 2002 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Central State University, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 9-29.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 39° 42.865′ N, 83° 52.717′ W. Marker is in Wilberforce, Ohio, in Greene County. Marker is on Brush Run Road, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in front of Galloway Hall, on the Central State University campus. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wilberforce OH 45384, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hallie Quinn Brown (about 500 feet away); Paul Robeson (about 600 feet away); Central State University (about 700 feet away); Martin Robison Delany (approx. ¼ mile away); Old Wilberforce University Campus at Tawawa Springs (approx. ¼ mile away); Carnegie Library (1907) (approx. 0.3 miles away); Kezia Emery Hall (1913) (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilberforce.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,419 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 2, 2008, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.