The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol.2, page 134, June 1881, U. of Illinois Press

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The BOOKER T. WASHINGTON Papers ALS BTW Folder President's Office Vault ViHaI. This is the first appearance of the letterhead: ''Tuskegee Normal School for the Education of Colored Teachers. B. T. Washington, Principal.'' ~ Francis Chickering Briggs (~833-~908), born in Norward, Mass., served as business manager of Hampton for twenty-nine years. A descendant of founders of Plymouth colony, he attended Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and received business training in Newburyport, Mass. After operating a Boston china-importing firm for many years with his brother Richard, he retired because of ill health. On a recuperative trip to Hampton in 1878, he became interested in Hampton Institute. He joined the staff in 1879 and became a close friend of Samuel C. Armstrong. His sister, Mary B. Briggs, also joined the faculty, coming from Wheaton Seminary, Newton, Mass. 2 Emma H. Lothrop served Hampton as teacher and librarian until 1883. To James Fowle Baldwin Marshall Tuskegee, Ala., June c9 ~ 88 ~ Dear Gent: You have probably heard of my safe arrival here. I found things as represented. This is a beautiful, quiet, little town, with a high and healthy location excellent water. Both the whites and colored seem to be very kind and pleasant. I expect to open school next Mon. and shall have not less than thirty students the first day. Nothing could be more beneficial to the teachers and people of this section than a good Normal School. GenI, I want your advice at once on this point. The state pays for tuition $cooo annually. The trustees hope to save enough out of this em' t to put up a cheap building. They have not selected a site for the building yet. As soon as I got here I went to work looking for a suitable place for the building while doing so I came to this conclusion: that the people in this part of the South are not able to send their children to school and pay $9 or To per m. for their board, so I have decided that the only way to make this a permenant and successful school is to get it on the labor system as soon as possible. I have walked all around town and examined the land, finally ~ have found a farm about half a mile from town which ~ think will suit above all others. My self and one of the trustees, an intelligent and well-to-do colored man, have just seen the owner of the farm. He says that it contains one hundred acres, that he will sell it to us for $500 Moo when he gives possession and the remainder to run at 87o tiD paid.2 The land has several old buildi34