BEREA, Ky. (LEX 18) — When you think of Berea College, the word "groundbreaking" might come to mind. The school was the first interracial and coeducational institution in the south, and since 1892, it's been tuition-free.
To learn more about the college, LEX 18's Evelyn Schultz headed into the stacks of the campus archives, where she met with Tim Binkley, the Head of Special Collections and Archives. He gets up close and personal with the school's history daily, from photos of the 1908 football team to posters for on-campus theater performances.
All of these pieces highlight Berea's mission. Since 1855, students from all backgrounds -- black and white, male and female -- have learned and lived together. That was a remarkable concept 168 years ago, in a slaveholding state before the Civil War.
"I appreciate very deeply Berea College's non-conformist approach, its willingness to dare and experiment," said Binkley.
We learned that the approach didn't come without opposition. After being forced out of the area by pro-slavery supporters in 1860, the school's founder, John Gregg Fee, returned less than a decade later. The fierce abolitionist could not be deterred, as evidenced by his Bible from 1812.
Certain verses were clipped out. We asked Alivia West, a former student and archives associate, why.
"There are actually two versions of that story," she told us. "The first is that Fee himself cut out verses that were anti-abolitionist and showed the inequality of early Bibles. The other story is that his father actually cut them out. His father was anti-abolitionist, and the story goes he cut them out and put them in his pocket."
Another pivotal moment in Berea's history came in 1904, when Kentucky lawmakers passed the infamous Day Law, mandating segregated schools in the Commonwealth. According to Binkley, this was a direct attack on Berea, and the school fought the legislation to the United States Supreme Court but lost.
It wasn't until 1950 that Berea once again became integrated.
Decades later, students like West can learn from these examples of history and the artifacts left behind. She spent her senior year creating a timeline of Berea College history so future students could get that same hands-on experience with history.
"So much of history is dark, and you should know it so it doesn't get repeated," she said. "And I think being educated on those things makes you a better person."
Through the years, Berea has seen many notable alumni and faculty members. For example, Carter G. Woodson studied literature at Berea and co-founded Black History Month. bell hooks was a well-known author and professor at Berea. Silas House is Kentucky's Poet Laureate and an LGBTQ advocate who teaches Appalachian literature at the college.
If you want to see the historical artifacts, schedule an appointment here.
