Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Foundations of Freedom
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 13, 2012
1. Foundations of Freedom Marker
Harpers Ferry, including Anthony Hall (to your left), played host to large and small scenes in the epic human struggle for freedom and equality. In this building, the superintendent of the national armory contemplated how to strengthen the nation's military. On these fields, great armies battled over a divided land. Here, former slaves strove to obtain the education previously denied them by law.
[Aerial photo caption reads]
Storer College grew from a one-room schoolhouse in an abandoned armory building to a typical college campus by the time it closed in 1955. Today these buildings serve as a training center and offices for the National Park Service.
[Inset photo captions read]
During the Civil War, a war over the meaning of freedom, both Union and Confederate soldiers used the fields around you as staging, training, and battlegrounds.
Storer College, founded in 1867, was one of the first schools in the South open to African American students. Chartered as a school for all students, regardless of race or gender, Storer College was never able to achieve the goal of an integrated campus due to racial segregation laws.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in
this page online
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 19.424′ N, 77° 44.492′ W. Marker was in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, in Jefferson County. It could be reached from Mather Place. Marker is southwest of Anthony Hall, on the grounds of the NPS Mather Training Center, off Hartzog Drive south of Fillmore Street. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Harpers Ferry WV 25425, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in the Eastern Panhandle. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: A different marker also named Foundations of Freedom (here, next to this marker); Heads versus Hands (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Heads versus Hands (within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Stephen Tyng Mather (within shouting distance of this marker); John Brown (within shouting
Photographed by Unknown, undated
2. Aerial Photo on Foundations of Freedom Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. That was the happiest time of my life. (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Niagara Movement at Storer College (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Camp Hill during the Civil War (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); Storer College 1867-1955 (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); A Land Divided (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. The linked marker has replaced this marker.
Also see . . . Storer College. (Submitted on December 17, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 13, 2012
3. Foundations of Freedom Marker
Additional keywords. Storer College
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 13, 2012
4. Foundations of Freedom Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 17, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 640 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 17, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
