The Founding of Berea College
The college was founded in 1855 by Reverand John G. Fee, who was the son of a slaveholder, but would rebel against his family's beliefs. He wrote An Anti-Slavery Manual, or, The Wrongs of American Slavery Exposed By the Light of the Bible and of Facts, with A Remedy for the Evil in 1851, and was invited by abolitionist Cassius M. Clay to preach at his mansion. Clay gave Fee ten acres of land, on which he and his wife started an interracial and coeducational school and anti-slavery church, with the goal being equality for all people. The qualification for acceptance was that a person was of good moral character.
Berea College's Controversial History
Fee and the educators were the target of many angry mobs, and on Christmas Eve 1859 Berea's founders and their families were exiled. They returned in 1864, at which time Fee visited Camp Nelson, where black soldiers were being trained for fighting in the Civil War. He invited them to attend Berea in an attempt to recruit new students. In 1902 state representative Carl Day was invited to give the commencement address. He was appalled at the intermingling of black and white students, and as a result passed the Day Law, which prohibited educating blacks and whites together. Berea was forced to become an all-white school between 1904 and 1950. Berea provided scholarships for black students who were forced to leave, and assisted in founding the Lincoln Institute, a black school, for these students to attend. During this time, they focused on recruiting local Appalachian people to Berea, most of which had great craft skills. Many of these students were very poor, so in 1892 Berea stopped charging tuition and implemented a work program, in which students worked in exchange for their schooling, and the college became self-sustaining.
Berea Changes from Vocational School to Liberal Arts College
In 1932 the struggling college stopped accepting new students. They changed their focus from a vocational school to a more professional liberal arts college. During WWII Berea provided training for Naval officers. The Navy asked Berea to loosen their strict rules (no smoking, drinking or dancing) to accommodate the men. In 1950 the state of Kentucky rescinded the Day Law, allowing black students to return to the now all white school in the middle of the civil rights movement. In 1957 Berea published its ideals in The Great Commitments. They implemented a Tibetan Scholarship Program, and in 1994 were paid a visit from the Dalai Lama. They received the Points of Light award, and were assisted by author Alex Haley in reducing drop-out rates.
Berea College Today
Berea is attended by students and faculty from over fifty countries. Tuition is still free through the school's work program, and many students sell their handmade crafts in town shops. Berea has a program that focuses on single parents and encourages them to receive an education, teaching them to reduce their ecological footprint and urging them to take what they learn back to their families in the hope that future generations will seek an education as well. The EcoVillage is a place for young parents and their children to live while gaining an education and using 25% fewer resources. A visit to Berea is worth it - tours of the college are offered by students, and the shopping is incredible, with a wide variety of student-made products.
Attractions Near Berea
All within a days drive are some other historical attractions, including Lincoln Birthplace/Boyhood Home, Lincoln Homestead State Park, Maker's Mark Distillery, My Old Kentucky Home, Old Fort Harrod, and Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill.
