News Release

Footprints: Women Who Influenced Booker T. Washington

Date: March 27, 2023
Contact: Betsy Haynes, 5407212094
Contact: Timothy Sims, 5407212094

FOOTPRINTS: THE WOMEN WHO INFLUENCED BOOKER T. WASHINGTON PROGRAM AT BOOKER T. WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT 

Hardy, VA--- On Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., Booker T. Washington National Monument will host the program “Footprints: The Women Who Influenced Booker T. Washington.” The public is invited to attend this FREE presentation of four women dressed in period appropriate clothing representing some of the women who were an integral part of Dr. Booker T. Washington’s life! These women include his mother Jane Washington, his owner’s wife Elizabeth Burroughs, Viola Ruffner who was one of his first employers, and Olivia Washington who was his 2^nd wife. 

Jane Washington (?-1876) was the mother of Booker T. Washington, an older son John, and a younger daughter Amanda.  Jane served as the enslaved cook on the Burroughs farm and was brought from Bedford County, VA to Franklin County in 1850 when Burroughs bought land in Hales Ford. Her husband was Washington Ferguson, who had escaped from slavery, and lived in Malden, West Virginia where he worked in the salt furnaces and coal mines. Jane and her children joined him after Emancipation, and she lived there for the remainder of her life. Tressa Moore, who is a second-grade teacher for Franklin County Public Schools and currently pursuing her Masters in Supervision and Administration at Averett University will portray Jane. Tressa, a park volunteer, has reenacted history as Jane at park special events including Juneteenth and Christmas Days in Old Virginia.  

Elizabeth Walthall Robertson Burroughs (1802-1893) -At the age of 16, Elizabeth married James Burroughs and together, they raised 14 children. In 1850, the Burroughs family moved from Bedford to a farm near Hales Ford in Franklin County where they grew tobacco. James owned several enslaved people including his cook, Jane, and her children. It was at this farm that the enslaved were emancipated in April 1865. James died during the Civil War, and Elizabeth was eventually forced to sell the farm in the early 1890s and lived the remainder of her life with a married daughter. Elizabeth Burroughs is buried in Bedford County.    Beatrice Iceman brings to life Elizabeth Burroughs. She is a Master Volunteer Ranger in the National Park Service and frequently conducts living history presentations in the Smith Mountain Lake Area.

Viola Knapp Ruffner (1812-1903) was born in Arlington, Vermont in February 1812. After studying at Bennington Academy in Vermont she held teaching positions in North Carolina and New Jersey before accepting the role of governess for Lewis Ruffner’s seven children in Malden, West Virginia in 1843. After the Civil War a young, emancipated freedman came to work in their home. This young man, Booker T. Washington, was eager to learn to read and write. Their friendship remained until the end of her life. Mr. Washington called her “one of the best friends I ever had.”   Sheridan Brown is proud to portray Viola Ruffner on the stage for the first time after spending many years as a schoolteacher and principal. She recently authored “The Viola Factor” and serves as a park volunteer.  

Olivia Davidson Washington (1854-1889) was born in Mercer County, Va. to a formerly enslaved father and free mother. Booker T. Washington noticed her at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute and later asked her to help him lead in building and educating at Tuskegee Institute. There they worked very closely in the advancement of black education and married in 1885 after the passing of his first wife. She helped raise his daughter, Portia, and later had their two sons Booker, Jr. and Ernest.  Harmoni Walker is honored to play Olivia Washington in this celebration of women in history. You can catch Harmoni on stage from time to time performing in the city of Lynchburg theaters. This will be her second time participating in a Booker T. Washington National Monument production. 

Dr. Booker T. Washington once described his mother as “the noblest embodiment of womanhood.” Jump into spring and enjoy learning about some of the “footprints” left behind by women who influenced Washington’s life! Admission is free so bring your friends and family!  

All are invited to attend this presentation. The program is FREE, and no reservations are required. For more information, call the park at [phone].   Booker T. Washington National Monument is one of over 400 units of the National Park Service, the agency entrusted with the care of our nation’s natural and cultural treasures. The park is located 16 miles northeast of Rocky Mount, VA via VA 122; 25 miles southeast of Roanoke, VA via U.S. 220, and VA 122; and 45 miles southwest of Lynchburg, VA via U.S. 460, and VA 122. The park is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission, parking, and all programs are free. Visit us on the web at: www.nps.gov/bowa, find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/btwnm, and follow us on Twitter @BookerTNPS.