Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building/Lewis Anthony Library
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Lewis W. Anthony Building was constructed in 1903 to house Storer College’s industrial training classes and transitioned to being the campus library in 1929. It was originally named the Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building, but it now known as the Lewis Anthony Library. The building now serves as the library for the NPS Harpers Ferry Center.
Images
Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building, Storer College, Harpers Ferry, W. Va., c. 1904-5
"Laying Corner Stone of Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building, Storer College, Harper's Ferry, W. Va.," c. 1903
PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF EAST (FRONT) AND NORTH SIDE - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH (REAR) AND WEST SIDE - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C.
East elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Perspective view looking northwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
South elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
South elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Perspective view looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
West elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
North elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Perspective view looking southwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Interior view of library room, looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Interior view of library room with shelving and ceiling removed, looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
View of original roof, beneath roof of addition - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Interior view of attic looking northeast, with trap doors in foreground - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Interior view of attic with walls and ceiling removed, looking northwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Interior view of attic with walls and ceiling removed, looking southeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Cover Sheet - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Basement and First Floor Plans - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Section, Attic Plan, Window Jamb, and Baseboard Profile - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
South and East Elevations - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
West and North Elevations - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Roof Truss Details - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Lewis A. Anthony Industrial Building was constructed in 1903 as Storer College’s industrial arts building for male students. This initial use reflected trends in African American education that emphasized training in industries for both men and women. With the need for a new campus building Storer College requested additional funding from the State of West Virginia and the state legislature awarded them an addition $1500 in their budget for two years to fund the building. Additional funding came from private donations. Storer College asked Nathan C. Brackett, a former president of the college, to approach members of the Freewill Baptist Church for additional funds to complete the industrial arts building. In 1903, the family of Lewis W. Anthony donated funds to complete the building and the college named the building in his honor. Anthony was a member of the Freewill Baptist Church and former president of the college’s Board of Trustees, and the main Anthony Hall was also named in his honor.
In 1929, the Lewis A. Anthony Building transitioned into serving as the campus library as education in Black colleges shifted towards liberal arts and Storer College needed a library space to keep accreditation standards. The college had lost its original library space in the 1927 fire that destroyed the main Anthony Hall. In 1953 a two-story addition was done by architect Louis Edwin Fry, Sr. to expand the library space. Renamed the Lewis Anthony Library it served as the campus library until Storer College closed in 1955. The building was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1960s and is the library for the NPS Harpers Ferry Center.
Description from the 1980 National Register of Historic Places Nomination for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park:
“The Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building (Park Bldg. No. 64) is a rubble stone structure with gable roof constructed in 1903 on the hillside southwest of Anthony Hall. One story is above grade on east and two stories are exposed on the west. The overhanging eaves at the gable ends are decorated with brackets and wood trim at the apex. The building originally housed a carpenter shop, storage rooms, and offices for Storer College. In 1953 the college added a two-story concrete block stack section to the west side and converted the building to a library. The building has continued in this function since its acquisition by the National Park Services in 1962.
Description from the 2000 National Register of Historic Places Registration for Storer College:
“Located southwest of the Anthony Memorial Hall, the Lewis W. Anthony Building now serves as the Library and Archives for the Harpers Ferry Center. Designed in a Folk Victorian architectural style, it is a two story stone building constructed into the hill, exposing only the upper story at the front elevation. The building has seven bays with central double doors. The doors are half panel with six lights, a twelve-light transom and a cast stone lintel. Windows are four over four sash with steel beam lintels. The asphalt-shingled roof has wide eaves on the gable ends decorated with brackets and decorative gable peak detailing. Two four light windows are present in the upper story of the gable ends, with steel beam lintels. There are two brick interior gable end chimneys with corbeling. On the rear elevation a two-story concrete block addition is six bays wide. It has a date stone of 1953.”
Sources
"Historic American Buildings Survey: Addendum to Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library (Lewis Anthony Building)." Library of Congress. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park." Accessed August 18, 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/66000041.pdf.
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Storer College." Accessed August 18, 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/01000781.pdf.
"Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building, Storer College, Harpers Ferry, W. Va." Storer College Digital Collection. West Virginia & Regional History Center. Accessed August 20, 2021. https://storercollege.lib.wvu.edu/catalog/025500.
"Laying Corner Stone of Lewis W. Anthony Industrial Building, Storer College, Harper's Ferry, W. Va." Storer College Digital Collection. West Virginia & Regional History Center. Accessed August 20, 2021. https://storercollege.lib.wvu.edu/catalog/049735.
"PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF EAST (FRONT) AND NORTH SIDE - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOUTH (REAR) AND WEST SIDE - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"East elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"Perspective view looking northwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"South elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"South elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"Perspective view looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"West elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"North elevation - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"Perspective view looking southwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
"Interior view of library room, looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
" Interior view of library room with shelving and ceiling removed, looking northeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"View of original roof, beneath roof of addition - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Interior view of attic looking northeast, with trap doors in foreground - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Interior view of attic with walls and ceiling removed, looking northwest - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Interior view of attic with walls and ceiling removed, looking southeast - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Photos from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Cover Sheet - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Basement and First Floor Plans - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Section, Attic Plan, Window Jamb, and Baseboard Profile - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"South and East Elevations - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
."West and North Elevations - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.
"Roof Truss Details - Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV Drawings from Survey HABS WV-277-C." Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Storer College, Lewis William Anthony, and Louis Edwin Fry. Storer College, Lewis Anthony Library, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV. Jefferson County Harpers Ferry West Virginia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/wv0370/. Accessed August 23, 2021.