Historic Spring Hill Section 31

Samuel Dandridge (1845-1893) was born a slave and worked for his old master after emancipation. He was lucky with real estate speculation and left an estate valued at $50,000.

Jane Ferguson (?-1876) Though her place of burial is unknown, this monument was placed here to honor her dedication to the education of children and her race. Her son, Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), was a leader of education for African Americans and one of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute. She escaped slavery with her children, jeopardizing their lives and safety to give them a better chance in life, walking barefoot with them from Virginia to Malden, and later purchasing a home there to integrate the town in face of threats from the Ku Klux Klan.

William H. Davis (1848-1938) enlisted in the U.S. Army at 15 and served in the Light Guard company that guarded President Abraham Lincoln. Reverend Lewis Rice asked Davis—then just 18—to become a teacher for Malden’s African American population. Davis’s most famous pupil was Booker T. Washington, who cited Davis as an example of how teachers change lives. Davis later moved to Charleston where he continued serving as a Black educator for 24 years. In 1888 49 African American delegates nominated their own ticket and named Davis their candidate for Governor, the only African American to date to be so honored. Davis died at age 89 at his home on Court Street and is buried in his Army uniform.

Henry Floyd Gamble (1862-1932) was born a slave in Virginia, one of 13 children. Despite challenges, he worked with a night teacher and saved to attend Lincoln University, graduating in 1888. He earned his M.D. from Yale in 1891. Gamble helped establish the West Virginia State Medical Association for African Americans and served as president of the National Medical Association from 1911-1912.

Lewis Rice (1820-1902) was born a slave in Halifax County, Virginia. He was one of over 1,500 slaves working in the salt industry. He set up a school and church in his quarters, where William Davis taught Booker T. Washington and other Black children. He founded the African Zion Baptist Church, the state’s oldest Black church.

J. Eullan Bullock (1854 -1909) was born in the West Indies and came to Charleston via Scotland. He served as pastor of First Baptist Church, where he was held in great affection. He was the first African American minister invited to open a session of the State Legislature.

Albert Grant Brown (1880-1924) was born in Campbells Creek. He started his education at Black Hawk Hollow Negro School and continued his studies at West Virginia Colored Institute and the Tuskegee Institute. He taught architecture classes at West Virginia Colored Institute and served as the athletic director. He was West Virginia’s first registered African American architect. Mr. Brown does not have a grave marker but his sister, Bessie Brown, has a marker in front of the C.H. James plot.

Charles H. James (1862-1929) began his business career in 1883 as a foot peddler with his brothers. The James Produce Company went on to become the oldest and largest Black-owned business in America. James was politically affiliated with the Bull Moose Party and met with Theodore Roosevelt, who praised him for addressing the race problem. “I think I have spoken of you at least a hundred times, pointing to you as the man who actually is, by his actions and not merely by words, solving the race problem in this country.” He gained national recognition in the National Negro Business League, founded by his friend Booker T. Washington. His father, F.C. James, was the first minister of First Baptist Church and started Charleston's first private school in Chappell Hollow.

Bernard A. Crichlow (1873-1939), born in Barbados. In 1913 he established the Crichlow Hospital believed to be Charleston's first Black hospital. The hospital closed when he became the superintendent of the West Virginia State Colored Tuberculosis Sanitarium, established on February 16, 1917, in Denmar, Pocahontas County.