| February 21, 2009 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 2:00 pm |
| February 22, 2009 | ||
| 2:00 am | to | 4:00 am |
February is Black History Month and you can stop by Malden, WV and tour the childhood home of Booker T. Washington, noted African-American educator (1856-1915).
You can follow the very path where a young Booker walked after he was freed from slavery and worked in the salt mines. You will learn about his quest to teach himself to read and how that determination paid off and led to his becoming president of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama at age 25.
After returning home to WV, Booker was an advocate for moving the state capital from Wheeling to Charleston and he was very influential in having the 1890 land-grand institution located in the Kanawha Valley. That institution is now West Virginia State University.
Tours include:
- Norton House (circa 1840) the oldest frame house in Malden, home of the Norman Jordan African American history collection.
- African Zion Baptist Church, Washington attended services.
- Replica of Washington’s cabin.
- Historic Hale House (circa 1838) home of former Charleston mayor, John P. Hale.
Open to the public:
Saturday, February 21 from 10am to 2pm and Sunday, February 22 from 2pm to 4pm.