Steam at Harper’s Ferry has 5 editions of The National Intelligencer newpaper dating from April 10 through April 22, 1823. They are all addressed to “E.D. Howe Painesville via Pittsburg.” This newspaper was a leading political publication and was founded in Washington, DC in 1800. The founder, Samuel Harrison Smith was married to Margaret Bayard Smith who wrote the book “The First Forty Years of Washington Society.”
E. D. (Eber Dudley) Howe was the founder and editor of the Painesville Telegraph which was published and edited by him in Painesville, Ohio from 1822 to 1835. The paper continued its publication until 1987. While living in Painesville, his wife, sister and niece converted to Mormonism. Howe became interested in the religion’s history, which was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the 1820s. His interest resulted in the 1834 publication of a book entitled “Mormonism Unvailed” (sic).
Howe was an abolitionist and his home was used as a station for the Underground Railroad. His wife was one of the first women in the region to join the anti-slavery movement.
Though it is most likely that Howe read the newspaper because of its political content, he may have been just as interested in the slave sales advertised within its pages. On the front page, for example, there is an advertisement for
“A NEGRO WOMAN, about 25 years of age. She is a good cook, washer, and ironer and can be recommended as strictly honest. Apply at the new City Auction and Commission Rooms, corner of 7th Street and Pennsylvania avenue, Opposite the Centre Market. , P. Mauro, auctioneer.”
On the same page is an article about Major General La Fayette,:
“The President of the United States, in commemoration of the distinguished services of Major General La Fayette, during the Revolutionary War, has directed that the fortress recently erected at the Narrows, near New York, an hitherto called Fort Diamond, shall hereafter be known by the name of Fort La Fayette[Note: Fort La Fayette was used for Confederate prisoners from 1861 – 1866]. The ceremony in conformity thereto, took place on Monday last, at 1 o’clock, P. M.”
Fort La Fayette was used for Confederate prisoners from 1861 – 1866.
Promoting revolution and slavery in the nation’s capital circa 1823.
These newspapers and others are available for purchase from Steam at Harper’s Ferry. Please contact us for prices and shipping fees.
This week, I finished reading the second book from an additional favorite author, Lyndsay Faye, “Seven for a Secret,” the second of the Timothy Wilde series, the first being “Gods of Gotham“, both of which take place in 1840s New York.
A quote that Ms. Faye included in her book was one that struck me particularly. Here is the complete paragraph from pages 206 & 207 of the Narrative:
“There may be humane masters, as there certainly are inhuman ones—there may be slaves well-clothed, well-fed, and happy, as there surely are those half-clad, half-starved and miserable; nevertheless, the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity as I have witnessed, is a cruel, unjust, and barbarous one. Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse flippantly from arm chairs of the pleasures of slave life; but let them toil with him in the field—sleep with him in the cabin—feed with him on husks; let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths. Let them know the heart of the poor slave—learn his secret thoughts—thoughts he dare not utter in the hearing of the white man; let them sit by him in the silent watches of the night—converse in trustful confidence, of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and they will find that ninety-nine out of every hundred are intelligent enough to understand their situation, and to cherish in their bosoms the love of freedom, as passionately as themselves.” [emphasis added.]
This Narrative was published in 1853, one year after the publication of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly.” Theodore Weld wrote “American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of A Thousand Witnesses” and it was published in 1839. I can’t help but think that Solomon Northrup was directing this comment toward Harriet Beecher Stowe and Theodore Weld followers. These two authors fell from different branches on the abolitionist tree. Harriett Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist along the lines of gradual emancipation and “returning” the slaves to Africa, otherwise known as colonization. Theodore Weld, who attended Harriet Beecher Stowe’s father, Lyman Beecher’s school, the Lane Theological Seminary School located in Cincinnati, Ohio, was of the immediate emancipation branch. Weld broke away from the school in 1834 when the school’s trustees prohibited the discussion of slavery, and Weld held debates anyway for 14 days in February 1834, while Lyman Beecher was out of town. When Weld was kicked out of Lane, he took the financial backing of the Tappan brothers. Lewis and Arthur, with him to Oberlin College.
In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, part of the Compromise Act, was passed to strengthen the existing Fugitive Slave Act of 1783, which was also passed to enforce Article 4, Clause 3 of the United States, which stated:
No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.
This was the foundation upon which fugitive slaves were to be returned to their owners. Article 4 on the whole is fundamentally an article outlining the relationship between the states and the federal government. On the up side, it requires the states to recognize the laws of public acts, records and court proceedings of other states. This article is extremely important to civil rights in the United States, starting with slavery, to inter-racial marriage, violence against women and same-sex marriage.
Harriet Beecher Stowe often stated that it was the Fugitive Slave Act which compelled her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Every once in a while, I have to remind myself that the federal government used slave labor (and was sometimes sued for non-payment for services), so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that congressional representatives at the time would, more likely than not, reflect the sentiments of that government. In the newspaper, Radical Abolitionist, dated July 1856, Dr. James C. Jackson, of Glen Haven, NY said:
What new thing is it with us, that a man like Charles Sumner is knocked down?
And if you don’t recall, Charles Sumner was nearly killed on the Senate floor two days after giving his speech, The Crime Against Kansas: The Apologies for the Crime; The True Remedy, in May 1856, the same month John Brown and his volunteers killed five men associated with the pro-slavery Law and Order Party in Pottawatomie, Kansas. So much for the other parts of the Constitution – the Second Amendment.
It was in this same publication that the Radical Abolitionists nominated Gerrit Smith (one of John Brown’s Secret Six) for President of the United States. It was also reported that at the Republican Convention, Mr. Lincoln of Illinois received 110 votes for Vice President, second to Mr. William Dayton of New Jersey who received 259 votes in the informal ballot.
Dr. Beriah Green, a close associate of Gerrit Smith, who made a speech at the Radical Abolitionist convention, made what I think sums up the federal government’s complicity in slavery correctly.
It has been affirmed, more than once, by names making a prominent figure in the sphere of politics, and enjoying a large amount of the general confidence, that slavery, from the very commencement of our political history, has been especially, prominently, and constantly, a cherished and petted “institution” of what bears the name of Government. … The thing has not only been endured by the Government – it has not only been cherished by the Government, but it has been regarded as pre-eminently, controllingly, the object to which, in the measures they might devise, they have been devoted. … I know it is claimed that the people at large are deceived and devoted to freedom ; … There will always be found a striking correspondence between those who grant office and those who hold office. We have therefore to refer this to a majority of those who wield power in this republic. …. If we look a little more earnestly, we shall be constrained to admit, that slavery without us, has its origin in slavery within us. A man will give expression to his own appropriate character. What he may be, within himself, he will be … in the objects he may pursue. … The fetters, the chains and the whips – whatever belongs to slavery, as it presents itself to they eye, has its origin within the depths of the human spirit.
Readers are reminded that the Republican Party platform at the time did not propose the suppression of the slave trade between the states, it did not propose the prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia (which was, and continues to be, in many ways, under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress), and failed to propose a repeal of the Fugitive Slave bill.
You are called Black Republicans. What right have you to that name? Among all the Candidates you have selected, or talked of, I have not seen or heard of a single black one. (Laughter.) Nor have I seen one mentioned with any prospect of success, who is friendly to the black man in his sympathies, or an advocate for the restoration of is rights. … And then there is the man who was struck down in the Senate; and he is the man you would be first to elevate, if acting on the tactics of Napoleon. … If you want to give us an example of your Black Republicanism – of your determination to resist and defy the Slave power, take Charles Sumner, and make him master at Washington.
to be continued …
The Radical Abolitionist, July 1856, Volume I, Number 12, edited by William Goodell, is available for purchase at Steam at Harper’s Ferry.
Steam at Harper’s Ferry prides itself in its original newspaper collection, which includes titles such as Scientific American, Harper’s Weekly, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated and The New York Herald. Perhaps some will appeal to historians you know as you consider Christmas gifts! Here are some samples.
Harper’s WEEKLY, New York, November 26, 1859 (only 1)
Frontpage illustrations from Wilkie Collins’ “The Woman in White.” Interior and backpage sketches by Porte Crayon about the “late outbreak.” Doublepage centerfold illustrations “Fall Games” being “The Elephant” and “The Apple-bee” The issue is complete in 16 pages, in good condition, containing additional illustrations and text.
$41.95 plus shipping and handling.
Frank Leslie’s ILLUSTRATED Newspaper, December 17, 1864 (only 1)
Frontpage full-page illustration of Consecration of the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Philadelphia. Doublepage centerfold illustrations “The Hotels of New York City that were set on Fire by Rebel Incendiaries on the Evening of November 25.” Including the Tamany Hotel, Barnum’s American Museum, Lovejoy’s Hotel, St. Nicholas Hotel. The issue is complete in 16 pages, in good condition (some earmarks), containing additional illustrations and text.
On the Occasion of West Virginia’s Sesquicentennial
West Virginia is nothing if not a dual-natured state. On one hand, it was during the “War between the States” that a dedicated, wily few decided to finally wrest unsuspecting Eastern Panhandle slavery-leaning counties from the Old Dominion by hook or by crook to secure the railroads heading west and form a new free-leaning state. On the other, it is the state where, in 1898, an African American attorney, J.R. Clifford, successfully argued before the West Virginia Supreme Court on behalf of an African American teacher, Carrie Williams, that racial discrimination was illegal – the first such ruling in United States’ history.
There are bucolic pastures and leisurely flowing rivers along with sharply descending and precipitous cliffs. Even its name, “West Virginia” is somewhat duplicitous. The word “west” suggests a forward thinking state, yet its name retains the colonial heritage of Virginia.
The state’s motto “Montani semper liberi” or “Mountaineers Are Always Free” could also indicate duel meaning. Upon the state’s formation, were mountaineers free from something or free to do something? I prefer the latter. You may fight to become free from something, yet find yourself in a predicament you didn’t anticipate. Aspiring to be free to do something opens up possibilities. That aspiration, the dream to do something other than what had come before, to break with comfortable traditions and a way of life, the jump into the future in the midst of a civil war, speaks volumes about the state.
From my front porch I can hear those lonesome trains, and reflect upon what they represent. A state cut within and from the mountains, forging a future for itself that is still being realized. Many made sacrifices for the state – the price for which is lost in the mists of time. One only needs to take a deep breath in the mountain air, in that mist, to be fortified by the little known, and the renowned, who leapt feet first onto a path of their own choosing in hopes of building a new life for themselves as well as everyone else who has come to call West Virginia home.
Steam at Harper’s Ferry is selling paper and fabric commemorative flags. See this and other celebratory memories here.
It was recently brought to my attention that there is a 150th anniversary of something around here – and not just the Civil War! Was it the establishment of Harper’s Ferry? No. John Brown’s Raid? No.
It is the 150th anniversary of the formation of West Virginia! It was the only state created during the Civil War and its creation may not have been but for the War which exacerbated Virginia’s already difficult governance of the region.
There are quite a few websites dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of West Virginia and they are generally very good. There is even a website featuring our own Chief Historian Dennis Frye discussing, of course, Harper’s Ferry and the Eastern Panhandle!
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has a website entitled: “Child of the Rebellion: An Archives and History Sesquicentennial Project.” Here you can find:
Print and Bring it With You to the Museum Between Nov. 1 – Nov. 30 Details on the coupon!
Harpers Ferry Historic Town Foundation*
On November 9, 2012 at 7 pm, there will be an annual business meeting. Foundation Members and interested parties are all invited to attend.The meeting is open to the public. Please contact the Foundation for further information.
Harpers Ferry Civil War Roundtable**
DATE: Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
TIME: Dinner 7:00 PM; Program 8:00
PLACE: Camp Hill Methodist Church, Harpers Ferry, WV
SPEAKER: James Rosebrock
SUBJECT: From West Point to Antietam
The Speaker: James Rosebrock was born in Buffalo, New York. He received his undergraduate history degree from Niagara University in 1976 and was commissioned in the U.S. Army after graduation. While on active duty, he served in the United States and Germany. Among his assignments was command of a company in the 82nd Airborne Division. He is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is a National Park Service certified Antietam Battlefield Guide and has been chief of the guide service since 2011.
The Subject: This is the story of the 205 West Point graduates who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Maryland Campaign. The Civil War is the only one in history where the major antagonists were students together at West Point. They run from Joseph Mansfield, a graduate of the Class of 1822, who was mortally wounded at Antietam, to young Peter Hains of the Class of 1861, who commanded an artillery battery at the Middle Bridge and would go on to serve well into the 20th century, finally retiring at the close of the first World War.
The Meal: A family-style meal will be served at 7:00 PM prior to the program. The cost of the meal is $15.00 per person. Reservations for the meal must be phoned in no later than Sunday, November 11th, to Kyle Wichtendahl at 301-639-8855, or you can email him at kfwichtendahl@gmail.com. The meal will consist of: Sliced Roast Pork, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy,Sauerkraut, Iced Tea, Coffee, Rolls, Butter, & Dessert
The Old Opera House Annual Auction and Dinner
Steam at Harper’s Ferry has a special place in its heart for theater. We donated a woodblock print entitled “Silhouette of a Girl” – so please bid on it!
Going Once, Going Twice– SOLD
What: The Old Opera House’s Annual Auction and Dinner
When: Saturday evening, November 17, 2012,starti ng at 5:30 pm – dinner at 7:00 pm
Where: Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in Shepherdstown The Old Opera House built in 1911 is located in Charles Town and is West Virginia’s oldest theatre and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Every autumn the Old Opera House hosts the Annual Auction which provides a significant portion of our operating revenue. Funds from this effort help to defray the cost of royalties, costumes, sets and otherexpenses associated with mounting stage productions, as well as the cost of maintaining the 1911 historic opera house. This year the Annual Autumn Auction and Dinner is being held on Saturday evening, November 17.
This annual event is the ideal way to kick off the holiday season and to support the work of the Old Opera House.If you are looking for a special gift, want to finish or start your holiday shopping, or just love a great bargain, this auction is theplace to be. Fine arts, antiques, gift certificates, collectibles, furniture, and a variety of other items will be available. Tickets are only $45.00 per person for an evening that includes a delicious buffet dinner, cash bar and loads of fun.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and can be purchased through the Old Opera House box-office at (304) 725-4420 or from any OOH Board member listed on the OOH website http://www.oldoperahouse.org
Don’t hesitate … get your tickets now!
We are currently accepting donations of goods and/or services for the silent or live auction and there are still sponsorship opportunities available.
If you happen to be moving or know someonewho is moving, this can be the perfect time to donate. For more information,please do not hesitate to contact Steven Brewer at the Old Opera House officeat (304) 725-4420 or Ray Bolyard at (304) 728-7418.
*Courtesy of Harpers Ferry Historic Town Foundation * *Courtesy of Curt Mason, Jefferson County Historical Society
When: Friday, August 17, 6 – 8 pm
What: Birthday Party to commemorate the 200th birthday of Charles Town native
son Martin Robison Delany.
RAIN OR SHINE
In honor of Dr. Delany’s interest in health, there will be hula hoop demonstrations,
Zumba classes, African infused tap and free jump ropes will be available. People of
all ages are invited to join in!
Where: Downtown Charles Town, 124 E. Washington Street, across the street from the
Charles Town Library.
When: Fri Aug 17, 2012 to Sun Aug 19, 2012
What: African-American Culture and Heritage Festival. The festival is being
dedicated in honor to Delany. Descendants are invited to participate in the
annual parade that will take place on Saturday at 12 noon which take place
down the main street in Charles Town. Educational, health, vendors, food,
festive and other activities will take place at the festival ground located at
301 South Lawrence St. Charles Town.
Where: Festival Grounds Charles Town, WV
When: Sat Aug 18, 2012 to Sun Aug 19, 2012
What: Cannon firing demonstrations Sat 11 am, 1, 3 pm and Sun 11 am, 1 pm
Learn about Civil War artillery and the important role it played in the Battle
of South Mountain.
Where: Gathland State Park Burkittsville, MD
When: Sat Aug 18, 2012 to Sun Aug 19, 2012 *11 am - 4 pm*
What: Bringing In the Harvest: 19th Century Summer Foods <http://www.nps.gov/hafe>
Join 19th-century Historic Foodways Expert Carol Anderson for this in depth look
at how summer time harvest foods were preserved for winter consumption. Demonstrations
include, pickling, drying, potting, and canning.
Where: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harpers Ferry, WV
When: Sun Aug 19, 2012 *8 am*
What: 1906 Niagara Movement Commemorative Pilgrimage to John Brown’sFort <http://www.nps.gov/hafe>
Retrace the 1906 footsteps of the men and women of Niagara during this commemorative walk to the site of the
John Brown’s Fort in 1906. A 10:00 a.m. memorial service will follow at the Curtis Freewill Baptist Church
Where: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Murphy Farm & Curtis Freewill Baptist Church Harpers Ferry, WV
If you come into the Lower Town, be sure to check out the African American
Exhibits. The articles below were copied from the Afro-American newspaper based in Baltimore, MD. The first one is dated July 21, 1906, the second, August 18, 1906 and the third August 25, 1906.
When: Sun Aug 19, 2012 to Sat Aug 25, 2012
What: 60th Annual Jefferson County Fair <http://www.jeffersoncountyfairwv.org/>
Where: Jefferson County Fairgrounds Jefferson Co, WV
![[Fort Lafayette.]](https://i2.wp.com/collections.mcny.org/Doc/MNY/Media/TR3/f/3/a/b/MNY226004.jpg)
