People, Locations, Episodes

Willis N. Huggins, Educator born

*Willis Huggins was born on this date in 1886.  He was a Black historian, teacher, and social activist. He was among the earliest proponents of teaching African and African American history in American schools.   Willis Nathaniel Huggins was born in Selma, Alabama; his father, Reverend A. Z. Huggins, was a Baptist minister. Huggins received his first education at the Selma Training School as a youth. […]

Virginia University of Lynchburg is Founded

*The founding of Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) is celebrated on this date in 1886.  VUL is a private, historically Black Christian University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The university offers instruction and degrees, primarily in religious studies, including a Doctor of Ministry program. The campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Virginia University of Lynchburg is […]

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is Founded

*The University of Maryland Eastern was founded on this date in 1886,. It is one of over 100 Historical Black Colleges and Universities in America.

Opened through the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, UMES began with nine students and one faculty. 37 students were enrolled by the end of the first year. Its first name was the Industrial Branch of Morgan State College. It was renamed the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College in 1919. In 1948, the school became Maryland State College, a Division of the University of Maryland.

Alain Locke, Philosopher, and Educator born

This date marks the birth of Alain Locke in 1885. He was an African American philosopher, intellectual, and educator, and credited with defining the Harlem Renaissance.

Born into Philadelphia’s Black elite, Alain Leroy Locke was the only child of an established free Black family. By high school, he was an accomplished pianist and violinist. In 1907, Locke received a B.A. in philosophy magna cum laude from Harvard.

Princess Anne Academy Begins Classes

*This date in 1886, marks the origin of Princess Anne Academy. This was one of the schools for Blacks that paved the way towards America’s many Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Founded as the Delaware Conference Academy, it can be found in Princess Anne on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this school was organized by Morgan College.

Kittrell College is Founded

*This date in 1886 celebrates the founding of Kittrell College, a two-year historically black college (HBCU).   History Kittrell College was initially chartered in 1885 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Kittrell, North Carolina, as Kittrell Normal and Industrial School. It was founded to train underprivileged Blacks as teachers and artisans. Not long after the […]

Henry Lee Grant, Music Educator born

*Henry Lee Grant was born on this date in 1886.  He was a Black music educator and administrator. He was born in Washington, DC. He studied music with his father, Henry F. Grant, who was head of the music department in segregated schools. Grant taught music briefly at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC, before returning to Washington, […]

Ethel Jones-Mowbray, Teacher and Sorority Founder born

*The birth of Ethel Jones-Mowbray is celebrated on this date in 1886. She was a Black teacher, culinary artist, and administrator. Born to Mr. and Mrs. George Jones in Baltimore, Maryland, she lost her mother at birth. Her father raised her alone until she was ten. Later, Jones was raised by a foster family, the […]

James V. Herring, Artist, and Professor born

*James V. Herring was born on this date in 1887. He was a Black artist and professor. James Vernon Herring was born in Clio, South Carolina, to a Black mother and a white Jewish father who was an educator and visual artist. To ensure him a good education and protection from white racial violence, his family sent […]

Solomon D. Spady, Physics Teacher born

*Solomon D. Spady was born on this date in 1887. He was an African American teacher, scientist and administrator.

Ethel Hegeman Lyle, Administrator born

*Ethel Hedgeman Lyle was born on this date in 1887. She was a Black educator and community administrator.   Ethel Hedgeman was from St. Louis, Missouri. She attended public schools in St. Louis throughout elementary and secondary school. In 1904, she graduated from Sumner High School with honors. She then gained a scholarship to Howard University. Hedgeman demonstrated her ambition […]

The Glass Hill School (Maryland) Opens

*The Registry celebrates the opening of the Glass Hill School on this date in 1887. This was one of many primary education schools for Blacks during Reconstruction.

Founded in Wicomico County, Maryland the school was originally identified simply as “ Col’d,” School, an abbreviation used for “Colored” School. The school was abandoned and was scheduled for demolition when Jim Jackson purchased and moved it to Pittsville, MD in 1900. After restoration it became a shop called Schoolhouse Collectibles. The present location is 7915 Maple Street Pittsville, MD.

Reference:

Central State University is Founded

Central State University was founded on this day in 1887 in Ohio. It is one of more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America.

CSU’s history begins with its parent institution, Wilberforce University. It was established at Tawawa Springs, Ohio, and affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. It is one of the oldest Black-administered institutions of higher education in the nation.

Nadia Boulanger, Music Teacher born

*Nadia Boulanger was born on September 16, 1887. She was a white French music teacher, conductor, and composer. From a musical family, from the age of seven, Juliette Nadia Boulanger studied in preparation for her Conservatoire entrance exams, sitting in on their classes and having private lessons with its teachers. She achieved early honors as […]

Florida A&M University Opens its Campus

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University was founded in Tallahassee, FL, on this date in 1887. FAMU is one of over 100 Historical Black Colleges and Universities in America.