January 15, 2022 – March 2, 2025
African Americans have contributed to the shaping of the Shenandoah Valley for more than 300 years and their influence can be found throughout the MSV Collection. With art, objects, and documents, Contributions tells the stories of those who endured enslavement, resisted oppression, and achieved success. Nearly 40 significant African Americans in the northern Shenandoah Valley’s history—from the 1700s to today—are highlighted in the exhibition. On view through March 2, 2025, Contributions will be updated with new discoveries, ongoing research, and community collaborations. See the exhibition’s gallery guide here.
This exhibition is made possible by the extraordinary support of the MSV Compass Society.
Storer College students and teachers posing on Jefferson Rock, about 1890, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, MSV Collection, Gift of Mrs. Anne Dungan, Mr. John C. Newcomer, Mr. Thomas W. Newcomer, and Mrs. Elizabeth Snyder.
Drawing of Storer College Seal, 1913, attributed to Louise Wood Brackett (1842–1936), Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, MSV Collection, Gift of Mrs. Anne Dungan, Mr. John C. Newcomer, Mr. Thomas W. Newcomer, and Mrs. Elizabeth Snyder.
Crock, about 1860–1873, attributed to Abraham Spencer (about 1806–1873) in the shop of Samuel Bell (1811–1891), Strasburg, Virginia, MSV Shenandoah Valley Collection.
Photograph of an unknown woman with baby, 1860s or early 1870s, Frederick County, Virginia, MSV Wood-Glass Family Archive.
Photograph of Mary E. Johnson Ligans Moss (1839/1840–1926) and Thomas Winifred Moss (1831–1904), 1933, by Charles Franklin Moss (1878–1961), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, courtesy of Alexander and Bonnie Finley.
Ice Water Pitcher, 1873, Engraved "N. C. Brackett / Presented by the Students of Storer College / Nov 27th 1873," possibly Meriden Brittania Company, New England, possibly Meriden, Connecticut.