Dr. Carter G. Woodson Heritage Trail

Entries on This Tour

Carter G. Woodson, known to many as "the Father of Black History,” was born to former slaves and worked in the mines of West Virginia before graduating from Berea College, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. Woodson believed that educating the populace about Black history had the power to transform society, improve race relations, and benefit people of all races. Woodson was educated in the segregated public schools of Huntington, West Virginia, and became the principal of his former high school after completing a teacher certification program at Kentucky's racially integrated Berea College. He went on to earn a M.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Woodson founded Negro History Week in February of 1926, and his efforts to grow this annual celebration of Black history and culture led to the creation of Black History Month. Woodson also created the Journal of Negro History and the scholarly and community organization known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. These institutions, together with his scholarly and popular books, journals, and articles, provided a platform for educating others about African American history with works written by Black and white scholars. Woodson was among one of the first scholars to research and publish works on slavery from the perspective of the enslaved.This statue was commemorated in 2003, and is said that Woodson's line of sight is directly pointed at the first location of Douglass High School.

2. Douglass Junior and Senior High School

Constructed in 1924, Douglass Junior and Senior High School served the African American community of Huntington during the era of segregation until its closing in 1961 and now serves as the home of a variety of community organizations. This school was the second in Huntington to be named after Frederick Douglass and remained open until 1961, a reflection of both Huntington's reluctance to integrate and the Black community's desire to maintain what had become an important institution for them. As an academic, social, and cultural center for Black families in Huntington, the school had a profound and enduring impact on the city’s African American community over its seventy years. Notable graduates include Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained scholar known as the father of Black History, and NBA All-star Hal Greer, the first African American athlete at Marshall University. The building, which currently houses a community medical outreach center, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

3. Carter G. Woodson School / American Legion

This building served as a school for African American students in St. Albans during the era of segregation. The school dates back to 1912, and this building which was constructed years later was named in honor of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a former West Virginia miner who graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard and started Black History Month and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. The building is now home to the American Legion. The second school for Black students in St. Albans was also named after Woodson in 1940 and that building is now hoe to McKinley Middle School on the east side of town.

4. Carter G. Woodson and Black Coal Miners in Nuttallburg, West Virginia

This is the approximate location of a small canteen that served African American coal miners in Nuttalburg. The location is historically significant for many reasons, including its formative influence on Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a West Virginia miner known today as "The Father of Black History" for his work establishing what is now Black History Month, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and the Journal of African American History. At the age of seventeen, Carter G. Woodson moved to Nuttallburg with his brothers to earn money for schooling. He worked several years at Nuttallburg and the nearby Kaymoor mine, and it was here where Oliver Jones, the operator of a small canteen that served the needs of Black coal miners made young Woods a deal. Mr. Jones had amassed many books and subscribed to African American newspapers such as the Chicago Defender, but his reading skills and those of most of his patrons were less substantial than Woodson's mastery of the written word. As a result, the owner offered his food to Woodson in exchange for reading the latest news to the miners along with works from his library which included books on Black history, art, and culture. Woodson referred to Jone's small establishment as a tearoom that was also a veritable reading room, and he credited his experiences here as furthering his interest in the study and teaching of Black history. After graduating high school and teaching in Huntington, Woodson earned a Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College, partly through coursework at the University of Chicago. Woodson later returned to the southern coalfields of West Virginia for a short time, teaching school in the town of Winona. Woodson went on to become the second African American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard University and became one of the most influential scholars of the 20th century.

5. Carter G. Woodson Birthplace Monument

Dedicated in 1979 by the local chapter of the organization known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, this monument honors Carter G. Woodson, one of the leading historians of the 20th century. Woodson was a prominent educator and publisher and is remembered today as the "Father of Black History" for his role in establishing academic journals, periodicals, organizations, and traditions dedicated to the study of African American history. He was also the founder of Negro History Week, recognized annually in February as Black History Month. Woodson was born near this site in Buckingham County on December 19, 1875.

6. Carter G. Woodson Home

Dr. Carter G. Woodson is often called the Father of Black History. He is best known for being the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. At the start of the ASALH, he led meetings and gatherings for the organization at his home at 1538 9th Street NW in Washington DC. In 1970, the ASALH moved from Woodson's house to its headquarters on 525 Bryant Street. The Carter G. Woodson Home is now a National Historical Landmark (The Carter G. Woodson Home).

7. Carter G. Woodson Memorial Park

Completed in February 2015, this memorial park is dedicated to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is widely regarded as "The Father of Black History." The park is located near his Washington DC home, which is a National Historic Site, as well as the Black community's YMCA where often dined. Woodson was the second African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He established the leading academic journal related to African American history. He also founded the organization now known as the Association for the Study of African American History and Life (ASALH). Finally, Woodson created "Negro History Week" as an annual celebration of Black history and culture that has now been expanded to Black History Month and is commemorated each February .

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson Heritage Trail

Created by David J. Trowbridge on January 8th 2022, 6:13:31 pm.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

This trail begins at a park dedicated in honor of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known today as the Father of Black History for his scholarship and for his leadership in establishing the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Journal of African American History, and Black History Month. The trail continues to his Washington D.C. home and then his Virginia birthplace and continues on to the coalfields of southern West Virginia where Woodson worked before graduating and teaching at Douglass High School. The trail currently ends in West Virginia but will be expanded to include additional stops all the way to Berea College where Woodson earned a degree before continuing on to Harvard University. This trail is a work in progress and more entries and information will be added throughout the coming months.

Entries on This Tour

Dr. Carter G. Woodson Heritage Trail

Description

Share