The Halltown Colored Free School was built in 1870. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Community members throughout Jefferson County have joined together to restore two architectural pieces of local historical significance.

According to Harpers Ferry resident Kim Lowry, the preservation of both buildings is essential for maintaining a physical representation of local African American history.

“As you drive through Halltown near the Halltown Paper Mill, you may notice a charming limestone chapel set back from the road, behind a wrought iron fence,” Lowry said of the chapel, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. “The eye-catching Halltown Memorial Chapel, originally known as the Halltown Union Colored Sunday School, is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival-style architecture. The chapel was constructed in 1901 on land donated by Daniel B. Lucas (who served as a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice from 1889 to 1893) from his nearby Rion Hall estate.

“The chapel was built by hand, by volunteers from the local African American community,” Lowry said, noting the construction took a year to complete. “Some of the volunteers worked in the evenings, following their day jobs at the Halltown Paper Mill.”

Lowry pointed out that one of the chapel’s stained glass windows bears the name, Edna Shelton, the first child of Ada and Benjamin Shelton, who were descendants of one of the chapel’s original trustees.

Halltown Memorial Chapel was originally known as the Halltown Union Colored Sunday School. Courtesy photo

“Edna was born in 1898 and died when she was a toddler. Her parents had other children, including Olive Shelton Braxton, the mother of Philip Braxton, who is spearheading the current restoration efforts on the chapel,” Lowry said, mentioning Olive was a Storer College graduate. “Olive Braxton went on to help children in a special Jefferson County Schools’ reading program. When she died in 2016 at the age of 100, Philip Braxton committed to continue the restoration work his mother had long supported. Mr. Braxton tells proudly how his mother made soup and sandwiches to sell at lunchtime at the Halltown Paper Mill to support the chapel restoration efforts.”

The second building of historical significance needing restoration is right up the hill from the chapel, the brick Halltown Colored Free School, which was built in 1870 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

“Thomas Edwards, a freed slave, built the Free School with his money to educate his large family, including 13 grandchildren. As African American children could not attend schools for white students, the Free School is a testament to the determination of Mr. Edwards, to provide an education during a time of separate and unequal opportunities,” Lowry said. “The Free School closed in 1929, at which time it was converted into a private residence.”

According to Lowry, Edwards’ descendants include those connected with the chapel restoration, such as the Shelton Braxton families. Because of this connection, the restoration project efforts have been joined together under the leadership of the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association. So far, donations by local businesses and individuals have been an integral part of the restoration process, with the chapel’s new roof being installed at no cost by Aspen Contracting of Baltimore, Md.; subsequent repairs to the chapel roof being donated by Smith Roofing Company of Inwood; pew storage being donated by the Shenandoah Planing Mill of Charles Town, while the chapel’s wood floors and plaster walls are being restored; volunteers maintaining the grounds of both buildings; Shenandoah Sales and Service of Halltown committing to excavate behind the chapel to direct water away from the foundation; the donation of photography services to promote the restoration of both buildings by Pangtography and Cooper Captures, both of Shepherdstown; and Morgan Academy partnering with the association to research and feature both buildings’ history in its curriculum.

“The association thanks members of the community who have donated time, skills and enthusiasm to support the restoration of these two historically significant properties,” Lowry said, noting historic preservation grant applications for both buildings are being submitted to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the West Virginia Division of Arts, Culture and History. “Plans are underway to make additional exterior and interior repairs to the chapel, with the help of a grant from the Two Rivers Giving Circle. The Free School requires extensive interior and exterior restoration.”

A stained glass window stands out at the top of a door in Halltown Memorial Chapel. Courtesy photo

Lowry will host an antiques and collectibles sale with two other dealers at Evolve in Shepherdstown, from Feb. 24-26, with a share of the sale’s proceeds being donated to the restoration effort.

To learn more or donate skilled labor and time to the project, email halltownmemorialchapelassn@gmail.com.

Tax-deductible monetary donations should be made payable to the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association and mailed to the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association at 73 Smith Manor Drive Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.