Top of the Hill

Theester “Sippi” Coleman (1908-1954) and Virginia Coleman (1920-2010). From the 1940s to 1960s, Charleston was a stop on the "Chitlin Circuit," where Black musicians performed in "cat dances" or "Jim Dances." The Colemans were pioneers in bringing Black music to Charleston, and hosted stars including James Brown, Chuck Berry, and Louis Armstrong.

Dandridge D. "Butch" Brown (1897-1954) was captain of the West Virginia State College football team and made All-American as a guard. He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at WV State in 1989.

Anderson Hunt Brown (1880-1974) began his career as a stove pipe maker and carpet apprentice before becoming a trombone player in the show Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He lived in Boston from 1907-1914 as a member of the Victoria Orchestra. Upon returning to West Virginia, he purchased real estate, established a business in “The Block,” and helped build the Ferguson Hotel, which hosted many notable celebrities.

Eustace Theophilous DuMetz (1895-1989) was born in Jamaica and moved to Charleston to work as an assistant photographer during World War I. He excelled in photography, opening his own studio and becoming a renowned retouch photographer. DuMetz covered significant news for The Charleston Gazette, winning awards for his portraits.

Firemen George Coates (1921-1949) and Richard McCormick (1915-1949) died in the deadliest fire in Charleston's history on March 7, 1949, at the F.W. Woolworth building. Initially seen as minor, the fire became catastrophic when the floor collapsed, resulting in the deaths of seven firefighters, including Coates and McCormick. Coates heroically attempted to rescue his colleagues, saving one but perishing while trying to save another.

John Clavon Norman Sr. (1892-1967) pursued his studies in architecture at Carnegie Technical Institute, becoming the seventh licensed architect in West Virginia and the second African American to achieve this distinction in 1922. He built a thriving architectural career in Charleston, West Virginia, designing homes in prestigious neighborhoods as well as various public buildings. He chaired the department of architecture and engineering at the now West Virginia State University. During World War II he contributed to classified construction projects before returning to his architectural practice. In 1924, he married Ruth Stephenson (1898-1990), a dedicated educator and community leader who hosted a radio show for thirty three years and received multiple accolades, including the Howard University Trustee Award for Distinguished Post-Graduate Achievement and the West Virginia Mother of the Year in 1975. They had one son, John Clavon Norman (1930-2014), who excelled academically, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University and earning his medical degree in 1954. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Norman became an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, conducted organ transplantation research and contributed to developing the first abdominal left ventricular assist device at the Texas Heart Institute. He later chaired the surgery department at Marshall University School of Medicine.

William W. Sanders (1873 –1947) graduated from Lincoln University in 1897 and its theological department in 1900. When he came to West Virginia, he taught in McDowell County Schools. In 1913 he became the State Law Librarian. In 1915 he became State Superintendent of Negro Schools. In 1923, he organized the State Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers and was its President for fifteen years. In 1925, he became President of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools, which later became the National Teachers Association.

Elizabeth Mason Harden Gilmore (1910-1986) was the first woman licensed funeral director and was a leading civil rights activist in Charleton. She co-founded Harden-Harden Funeral Home with her first husband. Upon his death she moved the funeral home to a stately mansion, which also served as her residence on what is now Leon Sullivan Way. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mrs. Gilmore was an organizer and executive secretary of the Charleston chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Her Girl Scout troop was the first Black troop admitted to Camp Anne Bailey, near Lewisburg.

Charles H. James (1862-1929) and his brothers founded the James Corporation, which became the largest Black-owned business in America. It was carried on by his son, Edward Lawrence James, Sr. (1892-1967) and his sons E.L. James, Jr. (1921-1972) and C. H. James, II (1930-2007) and then his son C.H. James, III (1958-2021).

Oscar Desper (1891-1940) was one of the few Blacks employed by the Diamond Ice. He delivered the ice in a horse drawn wagon, and after many years Desper decided to go into business for himself, and purchased a truck to make deliveries, employing high school boys to help.