Bluefield State University began in 1895 as Bluefield Colored Institute, created to serve the growing Black population working in coal and railroad jobs in southern West Virginia. The school opened in 1897 in Bluefield with 40 students and was led by Hamilton Hatter, followed by Robert Page Sims, who helped the school grow into a respected four-year college.

By the 1920s–30s, Bluefield State had become a cultural center for African Americans, hosting famous figures like poet Langston Hughes and musician Duke Ellington. The school’s name changed several times, becoming Bluefield State College in 1943 and earning full accreditation in 1949.

In the 1950s–60s, as segregation ended and the population shifted, Bluefield State became more of a commuter college, and most students were White. The campus expanded, but tensions rose in the 1960s over the lack of Black leadership. A 1968 bombing and growing unrest led the school to close its dorms permanently, ending its role as a historically Black residential college.

Today, Bluefield State University continues to serve students in southern West Virginia.