African Americans of Jefferson County

By Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society, Inc. and Sen. Robert C. Byrd

Jefferson County can proudly claim a large number of firsts when it comes to African Americans in national history. The raid to free slaves that served as a catalyst for the Civil War was led by abolitionist John Brown in Harpers Ferry. The first man wounded in the rebellion was Heyward Shepherd, a free African American and a Jefferson County resident. Pres. Abraham Lincoln appointed Jefferson County native Martin Robison Delany as the first African American field officer of the Civil War. In 1906, the Niagara Movement, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), held its first meeting on American soil on the Storer College campus. The first woman to become the coach of a men s college basketball team was also an African American from Jefferson County. Additionally, the Colored Horse Show held in Charles Town was the first of its kind for African Americans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 3, 2009
• ISBN: 9781439622797

Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society, Inc.

With a foreword by U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society, Inc. presents Images of America: African Americans of Jefferson County with over 200 vintage and modern photographs.

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Senator

INTRODUCTION

The black populace of Jefferson County had known for years that there had been a lack of information on African Americans and their contributions to the history of the county, state and nation. Therefore, the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society (JCBHPS) was organized in 2000 by four men who had been collecting black history information going back many years. Our goal is to present this history as it was passed down to us by our parents, grandparents, those in the faith community, and our teachers. Our intention is to present this pictorial history, much of which is unknown to the population, in hopes that it would encourage others to become more aware of the history of African Americans in Jefferson County. Hopefully, this history can be passed down to future generations. The JCBHPS is fortunate that much of the pictorial history collected and saved by others made this book possible. We are grateful for their support and for the use of photographs they provided.

Many people, places, and events make this county rich in African American history, such as John Brown’s raid of Harpers Ferry and the five African Americans who came with him. Two were killed; two were captured, tried, and executed in Charles Town; and one escaped. Storer College was the first institution of higher learning for African Americans in the state of West Virginia. The second Niagara Movement Conference was held at Harpers Ferry in 1906. Martin R. Delany was born in Charles Town. His family had to leave because they had broken a Virginia law that forbade slaves or free blacks from learning to read and write. The Jefferson County Colored Horse Show is believed to be the first and only one of its kind in the United States. Freedmen’s Bureau presence was in the county after the Civil War with the mission to establish churches and schools for the newly freed slaves. Historic Johnsontown was an all-black town founded by George Johnson. The two treason trials held at the Jefferson County Court House involved African Americans: John Brown’s raid and the Miners’ Trial. Star Lodge No. 1 was the first Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in the state. Tent City at Harpers Ferry was a contraband camp for nearly 20,000 slaves who followed the Union army. Many left the area after the war, and some remained, leaving descendants who are living today.

The JCBHPS was the first such organization to ever be formed in Jefferson County. The four founding members were Nathaniel Downing Sr., George C. Rutherford, James L. Taylor, and James A. Tolbert Sr.

Nathaniel Frederick Downing Sr. was born July 14, 1925, in Ranson, West Virginia. When there was discussion regarding the establishment of a black history group, he was one of the first solicited to join the group. He was a founding member and elected vice president of the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society.

Downing attended the Jefferson County schools. While in high school, he was a member of the Page-Jackson High School Cadet Corps. In 1943, his education was interrupted when he was drafted at age 18 into the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy until 1946 and was honorably discharged. In 1951, Downing earned his general education diploma and later attended Storer College in Harpers Ferry. He was certified as a nursing attendant and worked as a nursing assistant at the Newton D. Baker Veterans Hospital beginning in 1947, retiring in 1981.

He was an avid researcher and major contributor to several books written by the JCBHPS. He was able to document the clergy history of some of the black churches. He was a member of many fraternal, religious, and civic organizations, including a longtime member of the Mount Zion United Methodist Church; 45-year member and past master of Star Lodge No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons; member of the Green-Copeland American Legion Post No. 63; member of the Jefferson County Shalom Organization; and life member of the NAACP and vice president of DASTAR, Ltd. Nathaniel F. Downing Sr. passed in October 2004 and is sorely missed.

George C. Rutherford is a native of Jefferson County and a Page-Jackson High School graduate. He received an A.B. degree in secondary education and a bachelor of arts degree from Shepherd College (now University) in biology. He has a master’s degree from Marshall University in biological science.

Rutherford retired from the federal government after 42 years of serving as a Job Corps counselor and teacher, park ranger, finance manager, urban planner, and space utilization specialist. He was a public schoolteacher and was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army Airborne during the Korean War. He was married to the late Barbara Smith Rutherford and is the father of an extended family of seven.

Honors which he has received include the T. J. Nutter Award by the West Virginia State NAACP (highest honor); State of West Virginia Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award; City of Ranson Citizen of the Year Award; Governor’s West Virginia Civil Rights Day Award; and Region 3 NAACP President of the Year Award. He is treasurer of the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society.

James L. Taylor graduated from Page-Jackson High School with the class of 1951. He is a Korean War veteran (U.S. Navy). He graduated from Shepherd College with a B.A. and B.S. degree and from West Virginia University with a master’s degree. He was a teacher and coach at Page-Jackson High School for six years. He was also a teacher and coach at Jefferson High School, retiring in 1995, after 35 years in