Harveysburg Map
Harveysburg is a village in Massie Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 563, up from 437 in 1990. It is best known as the home of the Ohio Renaissance Festival.
Established in 1831 in Harveysburg, the Harveysburg Free Black School was the first free school for African-American children in Ohio. Quakers Jesse and Elizabeth Harvey founded the school. Like most Quakers, the Harveys believed strongly in education. They also believed in equal opportunity for African Americans with whites. Elizabeth Harvey was especially concerned about the lack of free education for Ohio's African-American children and convinced her husband to construct a one-room schoolhouse to assist black children in attaining an education. While the institution is now known as the Harveysburg Free Black School, the school permitted any children of color to attend. Constructed of brick, the Harveysburg Free Black School remained in operation as a school until the early 1900s, when African-Americans were finally permitted to attend historically white schools in the community. The school relied on donations, principally from the Grove Monthly Meeting of Friends in Harveysburg, to remain open. In addition to opening the Harveysburg Free Black School, the couple also established a seminary for white children in the community
Upon the school's closing, the building became a private home. In 1976, the Harveysburg Bicentennial Committee acquired the building and restored it to its original appearance. The Harveysburg Free Black School now serves as the Harveysburg Community Historical Society's headquarters
Nearby cities include Wilmington, Lebanon, Centerville, Morrow, Springboro.