Unearthing History: The Remarkable Journey of John Wesley Gilbert
By Tamara Shiloh
John Wesley Gilbert, a trailblazing figure, broke barriers as an educator, missionary, and the first African American archaeologist. Notably, he was the inaugural graduate of Paine College and the first African American to earn a master’s degree from Brown University.
Born free on July 6, 1863, in Hephzibah, Georgia, to Gabriel and Sarah, who were formerly enslaved farm hands, Gilbert’s early life revolved around education and hard work. After attending local public schools while laboring on a farm, he enrolled at Augusta Institute in 1878, where he later embarked on a teaching career at Ware High School in Richmond, Georgia.
Gilbert’s craving for knowledge led him to become the first student at the newly established Paine College in Augusta, where he studied Greek and other foreign languages from 1884 to 1886. His academic journey then took him to Brown University in Rhode Island, where he stood among the first 10 Black students and earned his A.B. degree in 1888.
In 1888, he began dating Osceola K. Pleasant, a teacher and Paine College and Fisk University graduate. The couple married in 1889 and raised four children together. During his time at Brown University, Gilbert received a scholarship to attend the American School of Classics in Athens, Greece, becoming the first African American to participate in archaeological fieldwork.
His excavations led to the discovery of the ancient Greek city of Eretria, and he crafted the first map of the area. Returning to Brown in 1891, Gilbert focused on archaeology and made history again, becoming the first African American to earn an advanced degree from the university — a master’s in Archaeology in 1891.
After his academic pursuits, Gilbert brought his wealth of knowledge back to Paine College in the fall of 1891. Now a professor, he taught Greek, Latin, English, French, German, and Hebrew, becoming the first African American instructor at the institution.
Gilbert’s dedication extended to theological studies at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta in 1896, where he received his Doctorate of Divinity degree and became a Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) minister. His scholarly contributions earned him a prestigious position within the American Philological Association in 1897.
Dr. Gilbert accepted the position of president at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama, in 1913. His passion for education remained unyielding, leading him back to Paine College, where he taught Greek, Hebrew, and New Testament literature. Concurrently, he served as the Dean of the Divinity School until his retirement in 1920.
On Nov. 18, 1923, the world mourned the loss of John Wesley Gilbert, a true pioneer and visionary, in Augusta, Georgia. In honor of his legacy, a low-income housing project was named after him in 1941, and in 1968, Paine College dedicated a Chapel to commemorate both Gilbert and Rev. Walter R. Lambuth.
