Samuel Chapman Armstrong

During the Civil War, Samuel Chapman Armstrong, born in Hawaii on Jan. 30, 1839, to missionary parents, heard a reading of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and found the purpose of his life. He secured command of a black regiment and led it with distinction. After retiring as a brigadier general, he devoted himself to improving the lives of newly liberated people. He came to Hampton with the Freedman’s Bureau and, in July 1867, sought permission from the American Missionary Association to open a Normal school on the 125-acre farm here. Although the Association first wanted the school on land now occupied by the Veterans Administration Hospital, Armstrong persuaded its officials. He opened the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute on April 1, 1868, then traveled widely to raise money, recruit teachers, and hire architects for many campus buildings that still stand. The school sent thousands of teachers to educate and lead their people. Ten years later, he opened the Institute to Indian students and inspired the creation of Indian schools across the nation. He died on May 11, 1893, and was buried among his students.

Hampton, Virginia · United States