Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society Oral History Project Records
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4676
This collection features several research projects carried out by the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society in West Virginia. The first is an oral history study of the general experiences of Black Jefferson County residents. The second is an oral history collection that explores the experiences of Black students at Fisherman's Hall, an African American community center in Charles Town, WV. The third is another oral history study relating to the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. The collections is mostly taped interviews along with transcripts of those interviews.
This collection also features historical newspapers from Jefferson County, including one issue of the Storer Record and four pages from issues of The Comet.
All of these materials have been digitized and are available to researchers upon request.
The collection is organized into five series:
Series 1. Reminiscences of Black History in Jefferson County Oral History Project (boxes 1 and 2): An oral history project where participants were asked to reflect upon their time in the area as Black residents, sharing things about their education experiences, the communities they lived in, their occupation, their family life, and more. Many of the people interviewed had lived in the county for all of their lives, others for most of their lives. The interview tapes are located in separate folders from their related transcripts.
Series 2. Brown v. Board of Education Oral History Project (boxes 3 and 4): An oral history project where teachers and students from across West Virginia were asked to reflect upon their experiences working or learning in segregated schools -- black and white schools at K-12 and secondary education levels -- and the ways their experiences changed when schools were integrated after the Supreme Court's decision in the 1954 Brown v. Board case.
Series 3. Fisherman's Hall Oral History Project (boxes 1 and 2): An oral history project conducted by the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society in collaboration with students and faculty from the history department at Shepherd College. African American participants were asked about their experiences living and working in the Charles Town, WV area and any experiences they had at Fisherman's Hall. Fisherman's Hall served as an African American community center in Charles Town since the 1880s. It was established by the Grand United Order of the Galilean Fisherman, a Black fraternal and benevolent organization. Because this building was so near to Shepherd College and the former Storer College, many participants also shared their experience as students of those schools, before and after they were integrated and consolidated. Most of the interview tapes are stored with their related transcripts.
Series 4. Historical Newspapers (box 1): Early 20th century editions of the Storer Record and The Comet.
Series 5. Miscellaneous (box 2): This series contains unlabeled notes and interviews pertaining to any of the above oral history projects. There are also several untitled digital files of unknown origin without corresponding physical components.
Researchers may access born digital or digitized materials by requesting to view them in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please note that we have only some release forms for the oral history interviews conducted for the Storer College and "Reminiscences" projects, and no release forms for the Brown v. Board project. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
The Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society (JCBHPS) was established in 2000 by James L. Taylor, Nathaniel F. Downing, Sr., George C. Rutherford and James A. Tolbert, Sr. JCBHPS is a repository for archival materials that demonstrate the Jefferson County African American community’s contributions to state and national history. Since its founding, the Society has worked to collect historical materials, facilitate research, and promote Black history in Jefferson County through publications, community events, and exhibits.
Source: a>
3.25 Linear Feet (2 record cartons, 15 in. each; 1 document case, 5 in.; 1 document case, 4 in.)
45.3 Gigabytes (248 files (WAV, TIF, PDF, and others))
English
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift from James Green Jr. of the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society, 2025.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository