John Newton Templeton 200th Year Anniversary

The African American Alumni Heritage Wall is located in the East Lobby of the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Ohio University’s historic College Green.

In the mid- to late 19th century, Athens was known for being part of the Underground Railroad as well as having its own prominent Black-owned schools and businesses, including the Berry Hotel.

In 1926, American historian Carter G. Woodson established "Negro History Week" during the second week of February. President Gerald Ford expanded the weeklong celebration to what is now Black History Month in 1976.

The Berry Hotel, owned and operated by Black entrepreneurs Edward Cornelius Berry and Martha (Mattie) Jane Berry, stood on Court Street in Athens from 1892-1974, and contained a restaurant, barbershop, coffee shop and ballroom.

The dedication of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in September 1909 was the culmination of four years of hard work by its freeborn and formerly enslaved Black congregants, many of whom literally provided the building labor.

White's Mill, then known as Herrold's Mill, was a station in Athens on the Underground Railroad, which served as a safe place for recently enslaved persons to rest and hide on their journey toward freedom.

On Dec. 1, 1968, a group presented then OHIO President Vernon Alden with a list of six demands, including that a Black curriculum with full University accreditation be created, administered and directed by Black professors and students.