Mary Barnes Cabell
Mary Barnes Cabell (February 1815 – June 11, 1900) was born enslaved in Virginia and later became a key figure in the founding of Institute, West Virginia, which grew into West Virginia State University.
She was owned by Samuel I. Cabell, who lived on land that would become part of Kanawha County, West Virginia. In 1853 he bought this land from the heirs of Martha Washington. Mary bore Cabell thirteen children.
Cabell wrote wills that freed Mary and all their children, and in 1858 he officially freed them. The children were educated in Ohio because Virginia had racist laws that barred Black schooling, though some eventually returned home.
Samuel Cabell was murdered on July 18, 1865. There were rumors about the motive, but nothing was proven and no one was convicted.
In 1869 Mary asked county officials to change her and her children’s last name to Cabell, and in 1870 the Cabell land was divided among them. By 1871 the Cabell estate was worth about $42,128 (roughly $1.1 million today).
In 1891 the West Virginia Colored Institute was created to educate Black students, a response to federal acts promoting Black education. The Cabell land, first known as Cabell Farm and later Pinety Grove, drew interest from Governor Aretas B. Fleming. Mary’s daughter Marina sold a 30-acre tract to the state for $2,250, and with other plots this formed an 80-acre campus. The town was named Institute, and the school became West Virginia State University. Many Cabell descendants later worked there.
Mary Barnes Cabell died in 1900 and is buried in the Cabell family cemetery beside Samuel.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:32 (CET).