Harbel
Harbel
Town
Harbel is located in Liberia
Harbel
Harbel
Coordinates: 6°17′N10°21′W / 6.283°N 10.350°W / 6.283; -10.350
CountryLiberia
CountyMargibi County
Population
 (2008)
 • Total
25,309

Harbel is a town in Margibi County, Liberia, located along the Farmington River about 24 km (15 mi) from the Atlantic coast. The town was established in the 1920s following the development of the Firestone rubber concession and became the center of one of the world’s largest natural-rubber plantations. The name "Harbel" is a portmanteau formed from the names of Harvey S. Firestone and his wife Idabelle Firestone, reflecting their role in the early development of the settlement.[1]

History

Early development

Harbel emerged after the 1926 concession agreement between the Government of Liberia and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which granted Firestone rights to up to 1,000,000 acres of land under a 99-year lease.[2] Under the terms of the agreement, Firestone paid an annual rental fee of six cents per acre, or approximately $60,000 per year for the full concession area. Historians have described this as an unusually low per-acre cost for a concession of such scale, reflecting Liberia’s fiscal distress in the 1920s and its efforts to attract foreign investment to stabilize the national economy.[3][4]

Firestone selected land along the Farmington River as the headquarters for its operations and constructed a company town that included worker housing, schools, medical facilities, and rubber-processing plants.[5] Throughout the mid-20th century, Harbel expanded as plantation output grew, becoming one of Liberia’s largest employment centers and contributing significantly to the national export economy.

Throughout the mid-20th century, Harbel expanded into a self-contained industrial community. The plantation became Liberia’s largest private employer and a significant contributor to exports and government revenue.[1]

Hydroelectric and industrial projects

Firestone hydroelectric plant on the Farmington River near Harbel

In the early 1940s, Firestone constructed Liberia’s first hydroelectric power station along the Farmington River to supply electricity to Harbel and nearby company facilities.[6] The company also developed river transport facilities to move latex and processed rubber to Monrovia for export.

Civil war and disruption

Harbel was heavily affected by Liberia’s civil conflicts. During the First Liberian Civil War, the plantation became strategically important and fell under the control of rebel forces, forcing the evacuation of company personnel.[7] Human-rights reporting during this period documents forced labor, violence against civilians, and the degradation of plantation infrastructure.[8]

Post–civil war operations

Following the end of Liberia’s civil conflicts in 2003, Firestone Liberia undertook major efforts to restore facilities and resume full-scale rubber production at Harbel. The company repaired damaged infrastructure, reopened processing plants, and re-employed thousands of Liberians, reaffirming its position as one of the country’s largest private-sector employers.[9] Under its parent company Bridgestone, Firestone has also emphasized investment in community services, including the modernization of schools and the continued operation of Duside Hospital, which provides healthcare to workers, their families, and nearby residents.[10]

Aerial view of golf and tennis court in Harbel Hills, Liberia

Post-war assessments by human-rights and environmental organizations have noted both improvements and persistent challenges. Independent investigations have documented concerns related to labor practices, including allegations of excessive quotas and restrictions on union activity, as well as environmental impacts such as deforestation and waste discharge into local waterways.[11][12] Scholars and policy analysts have argued that these issues reflect broader legacies of concession-era governance and the structural challenges of regulating large plantation economies in post-conflict contexts.[13]

Despite ongoing debates, Firestone Liberia continues to play a significant role in Liberia’s rubber sector and local economy. The company has sought to align parts of its operation with international sustainability standards, including certification schemes and partnerships with non-governmental health and education organizations.[14] As a result, the post-war period has been characterized by a combination of reconstruction, corporate reform efforts, and continued scrutiny from civil society groups.

Economy

Harbel remains dominated by the Firestone Natural Rubber Company, which operates one of the world’s largest contiguous rubber plantations.[15] The plantation includes nurseries, tapping fields, processing plants, and export facilities. Rubber production—initially liquid latex, later supplemented by crepe rubber—has historically been the town’s primary economic activity.

The company also maintained extensive service infrastructure, including schools, a hospital, retail centers, sanitation facilities, and worker housing, consistent with a vertically integrated company-town model.[16]

Governance

Harbel does not function as an incorporated municipality and does not have an elected mayor or city council. Under Liberia’s local government framework, towns receive administrative oversight through county and district authorities rather than municipal executives, unless they are formally chartered as cities.[17] In practice, Harbel has operated as a company town since the establishment of the Firestone rubber concession in 1926, with many services traditionally provided by the plantation operator.

Firestone Natural Rubber Company, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, maintains substantial responsibility for infrastructure and community services in Harbel, including schools, housing, sanitation, and the operation of Duside Hospital.[18] The company’s senior leadership, headed by the President and Managing Director, plays a central administrative role within the plantation area. As of the mid-2020s, the position is held by Edgar Z. Hunter, the first Liberian to lead the company.[19]

Although national and county government agencies retain legal authority over public administration, Firestone’s longstanding provision of essential services has resulted in a hybrid governance structure in Harbel, combining formal county oversight with the operational influence of the plantation company.[20]

Social and human rights issues

The plantation at Harbel has long been the subject of scrutiny by human-rights groups, environmental organizations, and labor advocates.

A 2006 case study by Child Rights International Network documented widespread use of child labor on the plantation, with children performing hazardous tasks such as carrying heavy loads of latex and working with chemicals.[21]

Environmental organizations, including Mighty Earth, have reported deforestation, soil degradation, and pollution associated with plantation activities.[22]

Additional criticism has focused on land acquisition practices during the concession period and the limited compensation provided to displaced communities.[23]

Education

Harbel contains a number of schools originally established and operated by the Firestone Plantations Company to serve the children of plantation workers and staff. The Firestone School System has historically included kindergarten, primary, and secondary institutions located across the plantation communities, including facilities within the Harbel area.[24]

The company has operated the Firestone Senior High School, one of the longest-running secondary schools in Margibi County, which offers academic, technical, and vocational instruction. Firestone has also supported teacher training initiatives and curriculum development in partnership with the Liberian Ministry of Education.[25]

Educational access in Harbel extends beyond Firestone-operated institutions, with additional public and private schools serving residents of the broader community. Several nonprofit and faith-based organizations have also supported literacy, early-childhood education, and STEM initiatives in the town and surrounding areas.[26]

Higher education in Harbel is anchored by Margibi University, formerly Harbel College, which began academic operations in 2014 and was elevated to university status in 2024. The institution offers bachelor's degree programs in fields such as business, public health, education, and the social sciences, and provides tertiary education for students from Harbel, Firestone plantation communities, and the wider Margibi County area.[27][28]

List of schools in Harbel

Aerial view of Firestone Senior High School

The Harbel area contains several schools operated by the Firestone School System as well as additional public and private institutions serving the broader community. Schools documented in Harbel and the plantation area include:

  • Firestone Senior High School (formerly Firestone Staff School) – One of the longest-operating secondary schools in Margibi County, offering academic and technical programs.[29]
  • Harbel Multilateral High School – A government-supported public high school serving students from Harbel and surrounding communities in Lower Margibi.[30]
  • Harbel Multilateral High School TVET Centre – Technical and vocational education center attached to Harbel Multilateral High School, providing skills training in trades such as carpentry, electricity and related fields.[31]
  • Firestone Elementary School, Division 1 – Primary school serving plantation families as part of the Firestone School System.[32]
  • Firestone Elementary School, Division 2 – Lower primary school located within another plantation division.[33]
  • Firestone Elementary School, Division 3 – Upper primary school for students in nearby plantation housing areas.[34]
  • Harbel Community School – Privately supported institution offering early-childhood and primary education to local residents.[35]
  • Faith-based schools and mission schools – Several churches within Harbel and adjacent plantation communities operate nursery and primary schools, including institutions supported by local NGOs and religious missions.[36]

The Firestone School System historically enrolled thousands of students annually and has been a significant provider of education in Margibi County for nearly a century.[37]

Infrastructure

Harbel’s infrastructure—much of which originated as part of Firestone’s corporate investment—includes:

  • the Firestone Hydroelectric Power Station
  • an internal road and transport system
  • river-port facilities on the Farmington River
  • Duside Hospital (Firestone Medical Center)
  • community schools serving plantation workers and their families

The town lies approximately 2 mi (3 km) northeast of Roberts International Airport, Liberia’s primary international gateway.

Legacy and significance

Harbel is one of the most prominent examples of a 20th-century company town in Africa. Its history reflects broader themes of concessionary politics, resource extraction, plantation economies, and long-term foreign corporate influence on national development.

The plantation at Harbel has shaped Liberia’s economy, labor relations, and environmental landscape for nearly a century. Modern scholarship has examined Harbel within the conceptual framework of the “Plantationocene,” emphasizing structural inequalities and ecological transformation associated with large-scale monoculture.[38]

References

  1. ^ ab"Firestone and the Warlord". PBS FRONTLINE. 2014.
  2. ^"The 1926 Firestone Concession Agreement". Liberia Past and Present.
  3. ^Mitman, Gregg (2021). Empire of Rubber: Firestone’s Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia. The New Press.
  4. ^Van Beek, M. (2014). "Corridors, Concessions and Natural Resource Extraction in Liberia". Environment & Society Portal.
  5. ^"Harbel". Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  6. ^"Firestone Hydroelectric Plant". Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  7. ^"Firestone and the Warlord – Chapter 1". ProPublica.
  8. ^"Firestone and the Warlord – Chapter 2". ProPublica.
  9. ^"Firestone and the Warlord – Chapter 5". ProPublica. 2014.
  10. ^"Social Impact: Healthcare". Firestone Natural Rubber Company. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  11. ^A Rubber Plantation Through the Looking Glass: The Firestone Concession in Liberia(PDF) (Report). Mighty Earth. 2020.
  12. ^Rubber Production in Liberia: Living and Working Conditions(PDF) (Report). Verité. 2011.
  13. ^Pailey, Robtel Neajai (2023). "Stopping Firestone and Starting a Citizen Revolution from Below". African Arguments.
  14. ^"Dozens of Children Receive Free Life-Changing Surgeries at Firestone Medical Center". FrontPage Africa. 2024-03-15.
  15. ^"Firestone Natural Rubber – History".
  16. ^"Harbel". Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  17. ^"Local Government Profile: Liberia". OECD/UCLG. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  18. ^"Community Programs". Firestone Natural Rubber Company. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  19. ^"Firestone Liberia Appoints First Liberian Managing Director". FrontPage Africa. 2023-05-16.
  20. ^Pailey, Robtel Neajai (2023). "Stopping Firestone and Starting a Citizen Revolution from Below". African Arguments.
  21. ^Case Study: Child Labor on the Firestone Plantation in Liberia(PDF) (Report). CRIN. 2006.
  22. ^A Rubber Plantation Through the Looking Glass: The Firestone Concession in Liberia(PDF) (Report). Mighty Earth. 2020.
  23. ^"Firestone's Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia". African Press Club.
  24. ^"Firestone Liberia Education Programs". Firestone Natural Rubber Company. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  25. ^"Firestone Liberia Reopens School Facilities After Renovation". FrontPage Africa. 2019-09-12.
  26. ^"NGOs Support School Improvements in Margibi County". Liberian Observer. 2021-05-03.
  27. ^"History of Margibi University". Margibi University. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  28. ^"Margibi University Overview". UniRank. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  29. ^"Firestone Liberia Reopens School Facilities After Renovation". FrontPage Africa. 2019-09-12.
  30. ^"Margibi Education Stakeholders Assess Harbel Multilateral High School". Liberian Observer. 2022-03-08.
  31. ^"Harbel Multilateral High School TVET Centre Expands Skills Training". Harbel Multilateral High School-TVET. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  32. ^"Firestone Liberia Education Programs". Firestone Natural Rubber Company. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  33. ^"Firestone Liberia Education Programs". Firestone Natural Rubber Company.
  34. ^"Firestone Liberia Education Programs". Firestone Natural Rubber Company.
  35. ^"NGOs Support School Improvements in Margibi County". Liberian Observer. 2021-05-03.
  36. ^"Faith-Based Education Expands in Lower Margibi". Liberian Observer. 2020-11-21.
  37. ^"Firestone Liberia Community Impact Report". Firestone Natural Rubber Company.
  38. ^Gregg Mitman (2021). Empire of Rubber: Firestone’s Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia. The New Press.

Further reading

  • Mitman, Gregg (2021). Empire of Rubber: Firestone’s Scramble for Land and Power in Liberia. New York: The New Press. ISBN 978-1620976525.
  • Liebenow, J. Gus (1969). Liberia: The Evolution of Privilege. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
  • Dunn, D. Elwood (2011). A History of the Republic of Liberia. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
  • ProPublica & PBS FRONTLINE (2014). "Firestone and the Warlord". https://www.propublica.org/series/firestone-and-the-warlord
  • Levitt, Jeremy I. (2005). The Evolution of Deadly Conflict in Liberia. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
  • Child Rights International Network (2006). Case Study: Child Labor on the Firestone Plantation in Liberia. https://archive.crin.org/sites/default/files/liberiacasestudy-crin_1.pdf
  • Global Witness (2010). The Vultures of Rubber: Firestone’s Hidden Costs in Liberia.
  • Mighty Earth (2020). A Rubber Plantation Through the Looking Glass: The Firestone Concession in Liberia.
  • Science History Institute. "The Human Price of American Rubber".
  • U.S. National Archives. Firestone Plantations Company Records (Liberia), Record Group 166.
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