Name/Title
Bonnie BellEntry/Object ID
IMG2025.011.001Description
16 year old Bonnie Bell the night of the first Miss Jefferson County pageant. Bell was the first winner of the Miss Jefferson County beauty pageant in 1973.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
DigitalContext
Born in Martinsburg in 1956, Bonnie Bell lived in Shepherdstown before moving to Johnsontown. She attended segregated Eagle Avenue Elementary School and Wright Denny Middle School, and integrated Charles Town Junior High School and Jefferson High School.
After winning Miss Jefferson County, during the 1974 Apple Blossom Parade, Bell was prohibited from participating as Queen and was told to sit in the float's mountaineer shack [which, to Bell, represented a "slave shack"]. Those in charge claimed it was because Bell was only 16. Bell went to the Jefferson County NAACP for help, and the final decision was that she could ride the float, but not as queen. Instead, her 17-year-old white runner up rode as queen.
According to a Feb 19, 2025 article in the Spirit of Jefferson, it is likely that the judges did not realize Bell was Black until after she won.Acquisition
Accession
2025.011Source or Donor
Bell, BonnieAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Date made
1973Notes
Original photo was taken in 1973, digital image created 2025