The colony · 1787–1895
Athens of West Africa: Fourah Bay College
How a small missionary institution founded in 1827 turned Freetown into a centre of learning for the whole region.
By Tɔri Editorial Desk
Fourah Bay College was founded in 1827 by the Church Missionary Society. Its first student to enrol was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, who went on to become the first African Anglican bishop of West Africa.
Over the following century its graduates spread across West Africa as teachers, clergy, lawyers and civil servants, which earned Freetown the nickname "the Athens of Africa".
The college began in the east of the city, near Fourah Bay itself, before moving up to Mount Aureol, where it still overlooks the city.
Sources: Wikipedia: Fourah Bay College · Wikipedia: Samuel Ajayi Crowther
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