Belvidere Center in Lamoille County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
George Washington Henderson
First African-American Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Minister, Educator, Champion of His Race
Photographed by Kevin Craft, June 7, 2014
1. George Washington Henderson Marker
Born in Virginia in 1850, Henderson was employed as a servant by Henry Carpenter, adjutant in the Eighth Vermont Regiment in the Civil War. In 1865 he accompanied Carpenter to his home in Belvidere and began "to learn his letters." After study with Oscar Atwood in Underhill and at Barre Academy, he entered the University of Vermont and graduated at the top of his class in 1877. He taught in schools in Jericho, Craftsbury, and Newport. After graduating in 1883 from Yale Divinity School, he went south in 1888 to serve as Congregational minister in New Orleans. He was author, in 1894, of the first formal protest against lynching in the U.S. From 1890 to 1932 he taught theology and classical languages in Straight (now Dillard), Fisk, and Wilberforce Universities. He died in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 1936.
Erected 1999 by Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Markers
this page online
Location. 44° 44.893′ N, 72° 42.05′ W. Marker is in Belvidere, Vermont, in Lamoille County. It is in Belvidere Center. It is on Vermont Route 109 4.4 miles west of Route 118, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located in Belvidere cemetery, just west of the village of Belvidere Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belvidere Center VT 05442, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Green Mountains. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: South Academy / St. George Church and Bakersfield Historical Society (approx. 5.4 miles away); Peter Bent Brigham / Brigham Academy (approx. 5½ miles away); Julian Scott (approx. 7.8 miles away); Town of Johnson World War and Spanish War Honor Roll (approx. 7.8 miles away); Town of Johnson Civil War Honor Roll
Photographed by Kevin Craft, June 7, 2014
2. Wideview of George Washington Henderson Marker
Also see . . .
1. George Washington Henderson - blackpast.org. (Submitted on June 9, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec.)
2. George Washington Henderson - findagrave.com. (Submitted on June 9, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec. This page has been viewed 1,320 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
