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Millennium Council Projects- Treasures Tour-Auburn, New York, Harriet Tubman House and William Seward House
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trestour wpd
Page 21
AUBURN, NY: HARRIET TUBMAN HISTORIC SITE
Description
The 30-acre site where Harriet Tubman (1821-1913) settled with her second
husband, Nelson Davis, and where she established the Home for the Aged in
1903. Harriet Tubman entered into a contract with then-Senator William H.
Seward in 1859 to purchase the 7-acre parcel on which her brick house now
stands (the purchase was settled with Sewards hiers in 1873). The
remaining 25 acres were puchased at auction on the steps of the county
courthouse in 1896. The Home for the Aged was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1975. The site receives approximately 5,000 visitors
per year, including annual pilgrimages from southern African Americans.
This year the site will celebrate the 85th anniversary of her death.
The site includes:
the brick house, built circa 1880, where Nelson and Hariett Tubman
Davis lived after their marriage in 1869, and willed to Tubman's
relatives upon her death,
the Home for the Aged, a wooden building, where Tubman spent the
last few years of her life; restored in 1949 and now a historic museum
open for tours,
the ruins of the second building of the Home for the Aged, destroyed
by fire in 1949; Syracuse University is conducting preliminary
archeological digs this summer,
the Harriet Tubman Memorial Library, built in 1978 (dedicated in
1979), containing historical documents and photos and a computer
lab, and
the Multipurpose Center, built in 1983 (dedicated in 1984) used for
special events.
Historical Significance
Though not directly associated with Tubman's activities with the Underground
Railroad, the brick home of Nelson and Harriet Tubman Davis and the
associated Home for the Aged are two of the very few documented, tangible
links to Harriet Tubman, renowned leader in the Underground Railroad
movement and known as "the Moses of her people."
Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, as one of eleven children of
Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross, Tubman gained her freedom in 1849 when
she escaped to Philadelphia. ["I had reasoned this out in my mind," she said,
"there was one of two things I had a right to -- Liberty or death. If I could
trestour.wpd
Page 22
not have one, I could have the other, for no man should take me alive, I shall
fight for my liberty and when the time comes for me to go, the Lord will let
them kill me."] Working as a domestic, she saved money until she had the
resources and contacts to rescue several of her family members in 1850.
This marked the first of 19 trips back into Maryland where Tubman guided
approximately 300 people to freedom, many to St. Catharine (correct
spelling), Ontario, Canada. Tubman rented a room in a St. Catharine
boarding house behind the African Methodist Episcopal Church between
1851 and 1858. At one point, rewards for her capture totalled $40,000.
In 1859, Tubman relocated to Auburn, New York and entered into a contract with
William H. Seward to purchase 7 acres. Shortly afterward, Tubman brought
her parents from Canada to settle them on this property.
Who she had reserved how showns Mr MD in June 1857
During the Civil War, Tubman served with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry
Regiment (as did Frederick Douglass' sons Charles and Lewis) as cook,
nurse, scout and spy.
After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn where she dedicated her life to helping
former slaves, especially the children and the elderly. In 1869, she married
Nelson Davis, a bricklayer. She became very involved with her church, the
Parker Street African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, where her husband
was an elder. Davis died in 1886. The existing church is nearly intact from
its date of construction in 1892.
Having for years succored the needy in her home, in 1896, Tubman purhased the
25-acre parcel adjoining her home at a public auction held on the steps of the
Cayuga County Courthouse. The frame building on the site became the
Home for the Aged. Her work at the Home was supported by donations,
with Tubman never asking for herself but for the people who depended upon
her. Proceeds from the second edition of Sarah H. Bradford's book,
, also supported the Home for the Aged. (Proceeds from the first
edition, published in 1869, went to Tubman to help pay for her own home.)
In 1903, Tubman deeded this 25-acre property to the AME Zion Church. In
1908, the brick building on this property, lost to fire in 1949 and now just
foundation ruins, was opened as the second building of the Home for the
Aged.
/~50 yours after hundri Eman Proc.
Tubman died in Auburn in 1913 at the age of 93. Frederick Douglass once wrote
of Harriet Tubman Davis, "Excepting John Brown - of sacred - I know of no
one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our
enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]." She was carried from the Parker
Street AME Zion Church to her gravesite across the street in Fort Hill
Cemetery where she was buried with military rites. The following year, the
scenes in the Life of Harrist when (1869)
2
Hanist the more of for Prple (1886)
trestour wpd
Page 23
City declared a one-day memorial to this courageous champion of freedom,
and unveiled the Harriet Tubman Plaque, which, to this day, stands at the
entrance to the courthouse.
Preservation needs
The overwhelming preservation need at the site is gathering historic documentation
about the site and assessing the historic buildings and landscape (there was
an orchard on the site and it is believed some gardening and/or farming
occurred here too) so that informed decisions about the preservation,
restoration and rehabilitation of the site can then move forward. To that
end, the City of Auburn has obtained a $4,000 from the Preservation League
of New York State (source of funds to Preservation League is the NY State
Council of the Arts) to hire a contractor to prepare a National Register
nomination for the majority of the site which is not included in the National
Historic Landmark designation. A grant request has been submitted to the
NY State Council of the Arts "Architecture Planning and Design Program" for
$10,000 to prepare measured drawings of existing conditions of the Tubman
Davis home and the Home for the Aged. A decision on this grant is pending.
State Senator Mozzolio has proposed $50,000 for the site through the
state's Community Facilities Assistance Program (administered through the
Empire State Development Corporation).
The Home for the Aged has been owned by the AME Zion Church for 40 years who
rehabilitated in 1949 what had become an abandoned shell. Currently the
Home is in need of structural repair (roof ) and some interior renovations to
more accurately depict the historic appearance during Tubman's time.
Harriet Tubman's former residence, built circa 1880, is currently vacant with the
interior mostly demolished. The interior rehabilitation has been put on hold
until investigation of the structure itself can provide clues as to the original
design of the house. The mortar between some of the bricks on the rear wall
is missing causing water to leak into the house. The foundation also leaks.
The house is in dire need of restoration and an effort will be made to
preserve its historical significance.
The Memorial Library and Multipurpose Center are fairly new constructions, are
heavily used by visitors for special programs and are in good condition.
Included in the long term plans for all of the sites are interpretive exhibits.
The total estimate for the preservation of all structures at the Tubman site and the
AME Zion Church (see below) is $1,400,000.
trestour.wpd
Page 24
Related sites
The Parker Street AME Zion Church, a vernacular Victorian style church built in
1892, presents the most outstanding preservation need of all the sites
mentioned. The church is in danger of rapid deterioration due to water
penetration; they have estimated roof repair may cost $20,000 -$30,000.
The congregation moved to another place of worship 1-2 years ago. Across
the street is Tubman's gravesite at Fort Hill Cemetery. It is understated and
simple, a small stone tablet, mid-19th century, accompanied by a large,
"striking" tree, it lies close to the street, somewhat isolated from the rest of
the gravesites.
William H. Seward House (Governor, Senator, US Secretary of State) is a mile away
and was a stop on the Underground Railway. Home is an immaculate
mansion that was in the family roughly 100 years. Slaves were hidden in
basement but also in rooms above carriage house which the house would like
to open to the public. House has a special display case of Tubman
memorabilia collected by Seward family members. House has letter written
by Seward to his travelling wife which mentions that two people came by to
be hidden and then says, "Isn't this underground railroad working well?"
Could be site for reception/fundraiser evening before Tubman visit.
Harriet Tubman Birthplace Site, Dorchester County, Maryland. An archeological
survey is needed to pinpoint the location of the birthsite and to conduct
initial investigations at the site. Work by
and coordinated by the
National Park Service is expected to begin Fall 1998. Projected cost:
$100,000.
Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural Services, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. A
private center that is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of
African-Canadian history, heritage and culture. They offer educational tours
and presentations. It is located in the St. Catharines British Methodist
Episcopal Church, Harriet Tubman's church during her sojurn in Canada, and
the oldest property continuously owned and occupied by African-Canadians
in the city of St. Catharines. Tel. (905) 692-0993.
Local involvement
There is not much local involvement and the majority of the visitors are from out of
the area. Currently a consultant is under contract to the City to thoroughly
research these sites in order to nominate the Church, gravesite, residence
and Home for the Aged for the National Register; they also hope this will
spur local involvement and site coordination. Syracuse University is
conducting archeological testing this summer around the foundation ruins of
trestour.wpd
Page 25
the brick building that was part of the Home for the Aged. Right now the
emphasis is on saving the Church.
The site has faced some opposition from neo-nazi groups as recently as 1994.
Contacts
Reverand Paul Carter, 315-252-2081. [email protected].
Www.NYHistory.com/harriettubman 180 South St., auburn, NY 13021 (GC
spoke to RC 4/29/98); Marc Peckham with the NY State Historical
Preservation Office 518-237-8643 x258; Suzanne Warren -the consultant
doing research for the Nat'l Register nomination 802-447-0973; Michael
Long with the Planning Department in Auburn 315-255-4115.
Updated 6/22/98
FILE No. 399 07/09 '98 15:50 ID:
PAGE 4
FROM CITY OF
07.09.1998 16:36
P. 3
VISIT OF THE FIRST LADY
TO
THE WILLIAM SEWARD HOUSE
AUBURN, NEW YORK
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1998
EVENT
Tour of the William H. Seward House
DATE:
Wednesday, July 15, 19998
TIME:
1:50 PM - 2:05 PM
LOCATION:
William Seward House
National Historic Landmark site in Auburn, Now York
ATTENDRES:
The First Lady
Descendants of William Soward (3)
Mayor and City Council members
12 members of the traveling press corps
PRESS
TBD
REMARKS:
Brief Remarks 1 Presentations
SCENARIO:
The First Lady will arrive Auburn, New York via motorcade and proceed to the William Seward
House Museum. The First Lady will be greeted by Betty May Lewis, curator of the museum for
the last 47 years. She will be introduced to the family members and distinguished guests. Mrs.
Lowis will load a brief tour of the Seward House museum focusing on the connections between
William Seward and Harriet Tubman. Seward was Secretary of State under President Lincoln
and was instrumental in the Emancipation Proclamation. The tour will include the Washington
room, the study, the Harriot Tubman display, the Carriage House and the "dormitory" (where the
Seward's hld run away slaves), the formal dining room and living room. The First Lady will then
travel by motoroads along the South Street National Register Historic District en route to the
Harriet Tubman Home..
Draft 1.
FILE No. 399 07/09 '98 15:50 ID:
PAGE 3
FROM CITY OF AUBURN-PHONE31S-255-4115
07.09.1998 16135
P. 2
VISIT OF THE FIRST LADY
TO
THE HARRIET TUBMAN HOME
AUBURN, NEW YORK
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1998
EVENT
Tour of the Harriet Tubman Residence,
DATE:
Wednesday, July 15, 19998
TIMB:
2:10 PM - 3:10 PM
LOCATION:
Harriot Tubman property
National Historic Landmark site, Auburn, Now York
ATTENDEES:
The First Lady
Harriot Tubman Family members
Distinguished members of the A.M.E. Zion Church
Mayor and City Council members
12 members of the traveling press corps
PRESS:
OPEN
RBMARKS:
Brief Remarks / Presentations
SCENARIO:
The First Lady will arrive Harriet Tubman's residence where she will be greated by Reverend
and Mrs Paul Carter. (photo opportunity). The entourage will then tour Harriet's home which is
in need of resporation. The First Lady will then proceed to the Harriet Tubman "Home for the
Aged", (A small stage will be sot up in front of the building.) Reverend Paul G. Cartor will
welcome the invited guests and present the Thompson Memorial Youth Group to perform a brief
play on the life and times of Harriet Tubman. Several of "Aunt Harriet's direct descendants will
be inc uded within the performance. The First Lady will then make brief remarks. The First
Lady will work repelins and proceed inside the "Home for the Aged"for a tour enroute to
motorcade..
Draft 1.
Property line 5
ST.
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HOME FOR THE ASED
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FILE No. \o. 399 07/09 '98 15:50 ID: 399 07/09 399 '98 15:50 ID:
T
85'
8
License
HARRIET TUBAN HOME
180 SootH STREET
J
AUBUTN, NewYork
13021
95191 0661'60'20
HASPET terms
₽
Biles:
8" pick sale
S PARE
THURSDAY, 15JULY 1998
GANONDAGAN STATE HISi IC SITE, VICTOR, NEWYORK
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION w/ CLAN MOTHERS,
SITE MANAGER'S RESIDENCE
FRONT DOOR
FOYER
Jul-09-98 06:35A crowne plaza rochester
LIVING
U
ROOM
(BATHROON
PS
716 546 3450
DINING
KITCHEN
ROOM
BACK DOOR
A Bell DRATT7
P.02
PARKING LOT
1.9.98
Auburn, NY: Harriet Tubman Home
*
William Seward home is a nearby and related site. If we decide to go there, we have
information on Seward and on the house.
- The information packet from the Millennium people is very helpful, SO I won't duplicate all the
information they provide. Here is a summary of a few key points and a few things not included
in the Millennium office info.
Harriet Tubman
Born a slave in either 1820 or 1821, HT was one of 11 children. She originally bore the
name Araminta, but soon adopted her mother's name Harriet. In 1844, her master forced her to
marry John Tubman, a free black who was unfaithful to her. Though she had heard rumors she
was about to be sold, HT's husband nonetheless opposed her plans to escape slavery. Therefore,
she fled on her own in 1849, guided only by the North Star. She traveled at night, going through
Maryland and Delaware to Philadelphia, and from there to New York and Canada.
Of her escape, HT said: "I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things
7
I had a right to--Liberty or death. If I could not have one, I could have the other, for no man,
should take me alive, I shall fight for my liberty and when the time comes for me to go, the Lord
will let them kill me."
She soon journeyed back to Maryland in 1850 to rescue her sister and others. HT became
the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, making 19 trips into Maryland and
rescuing over 300 people who she brought to freedom in the North and Canada. Prevented from
learning to read or write while was a slave, HT never learned to do so and hence had only the
stars and familiar sites to navigate by Nonetheless, she was so successful that slave owners took
out a $40,000 bounty on her head. She faced life threatening danger with great courage and
continually endured many hardships, repeatedly telling those who she was ferrying to freedom,
"Keep Going." She earned the nickname "The Moses of her people.' Among those she rescued
were her elderly parents, who she got in 1857 and then settled them in Auburn.
*
In 1859 HT also led the rescue of the fugitive slave Charles Nalle in Troy, New York
(site of the Kate Mullaney house).
During the Civil War HT served as a scout, spy, nurse, and laundress with the famous
Massachusetts 54th Infantry--the famous unit depicted in the movie Glory. (Frederick Douglass'
sons Charles and Lewis also served in the 54th). While in the Army, some officers referred to
HT as "General Moses."
After the war she returned to Auburn (she Millennium packet for more), where she
married Nelson Davis in 1869 and became involved in the Parker Street African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church-which is still standing though in major need of renovation. In addition
to raising money for black schools in the South, she began taking in orphans and old people, and
because the home for the aged in Auburn would not accept blacks, she founded the Harriet
Tubman Home for the Aged.
1)
Throughout her life, HT was friends with some of the most important abolitionists in the
country including: John Brown, William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, Wendell Phillips,
Frederick Douglass, Gerrit Smith, and William Seward.
)
HT died in 1913--in the fiftieth year of American Emancipation (dated by Lincoln's
i
Emancipation-Proclamation).
trestour.wpd
Page 21
AUBURN, NY: HARRIET TUBMAN HISTORIC SITE
Description
The 30-acre site where Harriet Tubman (1821-1913) settled with her second
husband, Nelson Davis, and where she established the Home for the Aged in
1903. Harriet Tubman entered into a contract with then-Senator William H.
Seward in 1859 to purchase the 7-acre parcel on which her brick house now
stands (the purchase was settled with Sewards hiers in 1873). The
remaining 25 acres were puchased at auction on the steps of the county
courthouse in 1896. The Home for the Aged was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1975. The site receives approximately 5,000 visitors
per year, including annual pilgrimages from southern African Americans.
This year the site will celebrate the 85th anniversary of her death.
The site includes:
the brick house, built circa 1880, where Nelson and Hariett Tubman
Davis lived after their marriage in 1869, and willed to Tubman's
relatives upon her death,
the Home for the Aged, a wooden building, where Tubman spent the
last few years of her life; restored in 1949 and now a historic museum
open for tours,
the ruins of the second building of the Home for the Aged, destroyed
by fire in 1949; Syracuse University is conducting preliminary
archeological digs this summer,
the Harriet Tubman Memorial Library, built in 1978 (dedicated in
1979), containing historical documents and photos and a computer
lab, and
the Multipurpose Center, built in 1983 (dedicated in 1984) used for
special events.
Historical Significance
Though not directly associated with Tubman's activities with the Underground
Railroad, the brick home of Nelson and Harriet Tubman Davis and the
associated Home for the Aged are two of the very few documented, tangible
links to Harriet Tubman, renowned leader in the Underground Railroad
movement and known as "the Moses of her people."
Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, as one of eleven children of
Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross, Tubman gained her freedom in 1849 when
she escaped to Philadelphia. ["I had reasoned this out in my mind," she said,
"there was one of two things I had a right to -- Liberty or death. If I could
trestour wpd
Page 22
not have one, I could have the other, for no man should take me alive, I shall
fight for my liberty and when the time comes for me to go, the Lord will let
them kill me."] Working as a domestic, she saved money until she had the
resources and contacts to rescue several of her family members in 1850.
This marked the first of 19 trips back into Maryland where Tubman guided
approximately 300 people to freedom, many to St. Catharine (correct
spelling), Ontario, Canada. Tubman rented a room in a St. Catharine
boarding house behind the African Methodist Episcopal Church between
1851 and 1858. At one point, rewards for her capture totalled $40,000.
In 1859, Tubman relocated to Auburn, New York and entered into a contract with
William H. Seward to purchase 7 acres. Shortly afterward, Tubman brought
her parents from Canada to settle them on this property.
During the Civil War, Tubman served with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry
Regiment (as did Frederick Douglass' sons Charles and Lewis) as cook,
nurse, scout and spy.
After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn where she dedicated her life to helping
former slaves, especially the children and the elderly. In 1869, she married
Nelson Davis, a bricklayer. She became very involved with her church, the
Parker Street African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, where her husband
was an elder. Davis died in 1886. The existing church is nearly intact from
its date of construction in 1892.
Having for years succored the needy in her home, in 1896, Tubman purhased the
25-acre parcel adjoining her home at a public auction held on the steps of the
Cayuga County Courthouse. The frame building on the site became the
Home for the Aged. Her work at the Home was supported by donations,
with Tubman never asking for herself but for the people who depended upon
her. Proceeds from the second edition of Sarah H. Bradford's book,
, also supported the Home for the Aged. (Proceeds from the first
edition, published in 1869, went to Tubman to help pay for her own home.)
In 1903, Tubman deeded this 25-acre property to the AME Zion Church. In
1908, the brick building on this property, lost to fire in 1949 and now just
foundation ruins, was opened as the second building of the Home for the
Aged.
Tubman died in Auburn in 1913 at the age of 93. Frederick Douglass once wrote
of Harriet Tubman Davis, "Excepting John Brown - of sacred - I know of no
one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our
enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]. She was carried from the Parker
Street AME Zion Church to her gravesite across the street in Fort Hill
Cemetery where she was buried with military rites. The following year, the
trestour.wp
Page 23
City declared a one-day memorial to this courageous champion of freedom,
and unveiled the Harriet Tubman Plaque, which, to this day, stands at the
entrance to the courthouse.
Preservation needs
The overwhelming preservation need at the site is gathering historic documentation,
about the site and assessing the historic buildings and landscape (there was
an orchard on the site and it is believed some gardening and/or farming
occurred here too) so that informed decisions about the preservation,
restoration and rehabilitation of the site can then move forward. To that
end, the City of Auburn has obtained a $4,000 from the Preservation League
of New York State (source of funds to Preservation League is the NY State
Council of the Arts) to hire a contractor to prepare a National Register
nomination for the majority of the site which is not included in the National
Historic Landmark designation. A grant request has been submitted to the
NY State Council of the Arts "Architecture Planning and Design Program" for
$10,000 to prepare measured drawings of existing conditions of the Tubman
Davis home and the Home for the Aged. A decision on this grant is pending.
State Senator Mozzolio has proposed $50,000 for the site through the
state's Community Facilities Assistance Program (administered through the
Empire State Development Corporation).
The Home for the Aged has been owned by the AME Zion Church for 40 years who
rehabilitated in 1949 what had become an abandoned shell. Currently the
Home is in need of structural repair (roof ) and some interior renovations to
more accurately depict the historic appearance during Tubman's time.
Harriet Tubman's former residence, built circa 1880, is currently vacant with the
interior mostly demolished. The interior rehabilitation has been put on hold
until investigation of the structure itself can provide clues as to the original
design of the house. The mortar between some of the bricks on the rear wall
is missing causing water to leak into the house. The foundation also leaks.
The house is in dire need of restoration and an effort will be made to
preserve its historical significance.
The Memorial Library and Multipurpose Center are fairly new constructions, are
heavily used by visitors for special programs and are in good condition.
Included in the long term plans for all of the sites are interpretive exhibits.
The total estimate for the preservation of all structures at the Tubman site and the
AME Zion Church (see below) is $1,400,000.
trestour wpd
Page 24
Related sites
The Parker Street AME Zion Church, a vernacular Victorian style church built in
1892, presents the most outstanding preservation need of all the sites
mentioned. The church is in danger of rapid deterioration due to water
penetration; they have estimated roof repair may cost $20,000 -$30,000.
The congregation moved to another place of worship 1-2 years ago. Across
the street is Tubman's gravesite at Fort Hill Cemetery. It is understated and
simple, a small stone tablet, mid-19th century, accompanied by a large,
"striking" tree, it lies close to the street, somewhat isolated from the rest of
the gravesites.
William H. Seward House (Governor, Senator, US Secretary of State) is a mile away
and was a stop on the Underground Railway. Home is an immaculate
mansion that was in the family roughly 100 years. Slaves were hidden in
basement but also in rooms above carriage house which the house would like
to open to the public. House has a special display case of Tubman
memorabilia collected by Seward family members. House has letter written
by Seward to his travelling wife which mentions that two people came by to
be hidden and then says, "Isn't this underground railroad working well?"
Could be site for reception/fundraiser evening before Tubman visit.
Harriet Tubman Birthplace Site, Dorchester County, Maryland. An archeological
survey is needed to pinpoint the location of the birthsite and to conduct
initial investigations at the site. Work by
and coordinated by the
National Park Service is expected to begin Fall 1998. Projected cost:
$100,000.
Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural Services, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. A
private center that is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of
African-Canadian history, heritage and culture. They offer educational tours
and presentations. It is located in the St. Catharines British Methodist
Episcopal Church, Harriet Tubman's church during her sojurn in Canada, and
the oldest property continuously owned and occupied by African-Canadians
in the city of St. Catharines. Tel. (905) 692-0993.
Local involvement
There is not much local involvement and the majority of the visitors are from out of
the area. Currently a consultant is under contract to the City to thoroughly
research these sites in order to nominate the Church, gravesite, residence
and Home for the Aged for the National Register; they also hope this will
spur local involvement and site coordination. Syracuse University is
conducting archeological testing this summer around the foundation ruins of
trestour.wpd
Page 25
the brick building that was part of the Home for the Aged. Right now the
emphasis is on saving the Church.
The site has faced some opposition from neo-nazi groups as recently as 1994.
Contacts
Reverand Paul Carter, 315-252-2081. [email protected].
Www.NYHistory.com/harriettubman 180 South St., auburn, NY 13021 (GC
spoke to RC 4/29/98); Marc Peckham with the NY State Historical
Preservation Office 518-237-8643 x258; Suzanne Warren -the consultant
doing research for the Nat'l Register nomination 802-447-0973; Michael
Long with the Planning Department in Auburn 315-255-4115.
Updated 6/22/98
Harriet Tubman:
- she was so physically strong that "she could lift huge barrels of produce and draw a loaded stone boat
like an ox": John Brown was so astounded at the physical impression of this owman, together with the
knowledge of ther achievements, that he could only convey his regard fpr her by applying masculine terms
to describe her.
- "There's two things I've got a right to and these are Death or Liberty. One or the other I mean to have.
No one will take b\me back alive; I shall fight for my liberty, and when the time has come for me to go,
the Lord will let them kill me."
- Long before Harrict decided to leave she had found an ally in a white woman who lived near her, one
who had vouchsafed aid to the slaved woman in case she ever wished to escape. Harriet had a bed quilt
that she highly prized and had peiced together herself. She gave it to the white woman and the white
woman gave her a paper with two names on it and directions how she might get to the first house where
she was to receive aid. In the first house, when she showed the woman the piece of paper, Harriet was
told to sweep the yard: was like a camouflage because nobody would suspect her of being a runaway slave.
The woman's husband loaded her in his wagon and covered her before driving her to the outskirts to
another town where he directed her to the second station.
- Harriet had a letter written to Jacob Jackson, a fellow conspirator, who was to notify her brothers that
she was coming for them. "Read my letter to the old folks, and give my love to them, and tell my brothers
to be always watching unto prayer, and whenthe good old ship of Zion comes along, to be ready to step
aboard." The postal authorities suspected the biblical passage and confronted Jackson as to its meaning.
Although he understood the code, he explained that the letter wasn't meant for him because he couldn't
understand it. He thn notified her brothers of her arrival.
- tricks of travel:
- ability to recognize the North star
- she armed herself with passes which others wrote out for her
- escapes by men in female attire and women dressed like men (Harriet did it once herself)
- after several years of experience, Harriet loved to escape on the first stage of the journey by horse and
carriage ( usually this was the master's own property). Tactic based on the theory that slaves would not bc
so bold as to attempt such means. Negroes driving a horse and buggy must certainly be going on an
errand for their masters. She would put the escapees in a cart covering them with vegetabels and drive
them to some hiding place.
- whe she feared the party was closely pursued, she would take it for a time on a train southward bound.
No one seeing them going in this direction would for an instant suppose them to be fugitives.
- Once. when Harriet heard men talking about her, she pretended to read a book which she carried. One
man remarked. "This can't be the woman. The one we want can't read or write." Harriet devoutly hoped
the book was right side up.
- Legend has it that she was discovered by her friends asleep in a local park bencath a sign advertising a
reward for her capture, which meant nothin to her, as she couldn't read. Harriet Stanton Blatch said "She
made my young blood tingle as she told how she sat right under a poster advertising a reward for her
capture and return somewhere in the South."
- On one of her expeditions, she had the incredible nerve to enter a village where lived one of her former
masters. This was necessary for the carrying out of her plans for that trip. Her only disguise was a bodily
assumption of age. To reinforce this her subtle foresight prompted her to buy some live chickens, which
she carried suspended by the legs froma cord. As she turned a corner she saw coming toward her none
Harriet Tubman
Introduction
(Taban from a wel page)
For more than 20 years before the Civil War, there existed in
America a secret system for helping runaway slaves escape to
freedom in the northern states or in Canada. Called the
Underground Railroad, it was neither underground nor a
railroad. It was only referred to as such because railroad
terminology was used to describe the secret activities of the
system. The slaves were called "passengers," those who aided
them were "conductors," escape routes were "lines," and
stopping places of safety were "stations."
Lines in the Underground Railroad went from Kentucky and
Maryland to stations in New England and Canada. While most
conductors were Quakers (whose religion forbids slavery) and
abolitionists (northerners who fought against slavery), some
conductors were free blacks or slaves who: themselves had
been passengers on the Railroad. One such escaped slave was
Harriet Tubman. She singlehandedly led over 300 slaves to
safety in the years 1850 to 1860.
Born around 1820 on a plantation in Maryland, Tubman was
one of 11 children of Benjamin and Harriet Ross. Originally
named Araminta, Tubman later adopted the first name of her
mother. The young Tubman was often hired out to work for
other families living near her owner. Unlike many slaves, she
had the chance to return to her family between jobs. Like
many slaves, however, she did not escape the brutalities of
slavery: the permanent scars on her back testified to the many
whippings she received while growing up.
Slave uprising spurs desire to escape
Slavery became even harsher after 1831. That year, a slave
named Nat Turner led about 60 followers in a slave uprising in
Virginia. Moving from plantation to plantation, he and his band
killed 55 whites before they were eventually captured by the
Virginia militia. Although terrified southern whites enacted
stricter slave laws, the revolt had spread the ideas of rebellion
and escape throughout the slave community: When Tubman
was about. 13, a fellow slave attempted to escape. The
overseer (slave supervisor) tried to pursue the runaway, but
Tubman blocked his path. Enraged, the overseer hurled a
two-pound weight at the fleeing slave, only to-strike Tubman in
the forehead. The injury left her skull permanently pressed
against her brain, and she experienced sudden unconscious
spells for the rest of her life.
Although it was unusual for a slave and a free man to marry,
Tubman met and married a free black named John Tubman in
1844. Unfortunately, Tubman's husband did not encourage her
to escape and even threatened to betray her if she attempted
to do so. Despite this threat, Tubman refused to give up her
dream of freedom. In 1849 Tubman decided to escape alone
With the help of conductors along the Underground Railroad,
she made her way north to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tubman supported herself by working as a cook and as a
household servant. Within a year, she returned to Maryland to
start freeing her relatives. She then began a decade-long
campaign of conducting runaway slaves on the Underground
Railroad. Known by the name of "Moses" (Hebrew prophet
who led his people out of slavery in Egypt in 1400 B.C.),
Tubman would appear in slave cabins on a Saturday night
disguised as a man or as an old woman. She would then lead a
group of passengers to safety the following morning, knowing
slave owners would not pursue on a Sunday.
Leads "passengers" to safety in Canada
Soon after Tubman had begun her work on the Railroad,
Congress enacted the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. It required
all runaway slaves to be returned to their owners without the
benefit of a jury trial, and anyone caught helping a slave was
heavily fined. Because she feared for the safety of her
passengers in the United States, Tubman guided them to the
small town of Saint Catherines in Ontario, Canada. Since
slavery was outlawed in Canada, slaves were immediately free
once they crossed the border. Saint Catherines also became
her temporary home.
By 1857 Tubman had rescued her entire family. She then
decided to risk settling in Auburn, New York, a strongly
abolitionist community. There she met and worked with other
;
reform-minded individuals like the poet and essayist Ralph
Waldo Emerson and the women's rights movement leader
Susan B. Anthony (see biography). Perhaps the most famous
of her associations was with the antislavery crusader John
Brown. She helped him-plan a raid on the federal arsenal at
Harper's Ferry, Maryland, in November of 1859. Luckily,
Tubman was too ill to take part in the unsuccessful raid in
which Brown's sons were killed and he was captured.
Nurses Union soldiers
During the Civil War, which began in April 1861, Tubman
served as a nurse for sick and wounded Union soldiers in
Florida and in South Carolina. She also acted as a spy,
gathering information for a number of Union missions. On one
occasion, she even organized and led a group of eight black
men on a scouting assignment along the coast of South
Carolina.
After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn to care for her
parents and to continue to work for women's rights and other
}
reform movements. Concerned about the poor condition of
newly free black children, she raised money for clothing and
schools. In 1908 she helped the elderly by opening the John
Brown Home for Aged and Indigent Colored People (later
renamed for her). Tubman lived her last two years in this
)
home, dying on March 10, 1913. The following year, a bronze
tablet honoring her many achievements was placed on the
Auburn courthouse.
FURTHER READING
Elish, Dan, Harriet Tubman and the Underground
Railroad, Millbrook Press, 1993.
Hall, Richard, Patriots in Disguise: Women Warriors of the
Civil War, Paragon House, 1993.
Heidish, Marcy, A Woman Called Moses, Houghton Mifflin,
1976.
Litwack, Leon, and August Meier, eds., Black Leaders of
the Nineteenth Century, University of Illinois Press, 1988,
pp. 42-57.
Salley, Columbus, The Black 100: A Ranking of the Most
Influential African Americans, Past and Present, Citadel
Press, 1993, pp. 48-51.
Taylor, Marian, Harriet Tubman, Chelsea House, 1991.
Source: U.X.L Biographies, U.X.L, 1996.
Tubman's 1854 Raid:
1
"Free For Christmas"
The following essay was written from an article in Ebony magazine published in December 1984.
The article is called "Free For Christmas", by Lerone Bennett, Jr., and it is a historical
reconstruction of Harriet Tubman's raid during Christmas, 1854. The article is based the on the
known facts written in the best-documented account of this raid in Wade in the Water: Great
Moments in Black History, copywrite 1979, Johnson Publishing Co., Inc.
By Christmas, 1854, Tubman had already returned to Maryland five times or more lead thirty
or
forty slaves to freedom. She returned during the Christmas of 1854 for her three brothers who
were in danger of being sold. Word of this danger came to her through a premonition. Tubman had
been working in the North in order to save money for a slave strike when she became troubled in
spirit about her brothers.
In order to alert her brothers of her return to save them, Tubman persuaded a friend to write a
letter in code to Jacob Jackson. Jackson was a friend of Tubman who was a free black living near
the plantation where her brothers worked. He was suspected of being involved with slave rescues,
so his mail was being monitered. The letter's signiture was of his adopted son and it contained
many normal paragraphs. A paragraph within the letter read: "Read my letter to the old folks, and
give my love to them, and tell my brothers to be always watching unto prayer, and when the
good old ship of Zion comes along, to be ready to step on board. (Cited from Ebony,
December 1984, p.54) The letter caused confusion among the inspectors because Jackson's
parents were dead and he had no brothers. The matter was discussed between the inspectors and
a decision was made to ask Jackson what the letter meant. Jackson immediately recognized its
meaning and then threw it down, refusing it by telling them that it couldn't be for him and that it
made no sense. Tubman's premonition was right; her brothers were to be sold South. Jackson
immediately informed them that Harriet was on her way.
Harriet arrived in Dorchester County, Maryland on Christmas Eve, 1854. In the thick woods
she assembled with a group of slaves which included two of her brothers, Benjamin and Robert, two
slaves from a nearby plantation, John Chase and Peter Jackson, and a woman slave, Jane Kane.
Her brother Henry was nowhere to be found. Harriet's rule was that time was freedom, and she
waited for no one, this caused her to leave the scene without Henry.
The first stop was the cabin where her parents lived, which was forty miles north. Although it
was a trecherous hike through forests, hills, rivers, and creeks, Harriet led the group to the cabin
without any problems, arriving late Christmas Eve. Since Tubman had not seen her mother in five
years,
she opted to lead them past the cabin and establish camp at the fodder house. This was a good
idea considering that her mother was susceptible to emotional outbursts. She sent two non-family
members, John Chase and Peter Jackson, to awaken her father who brought them food. He tied a
handkerchief around his eyes because he knew he would be asked if he had seen them after their
escape was discovered.
Meanwhile, Henry was attempting to follow the path that Harriet had left him. His wife had
gone into labor at the time he was planning to meet Tubman, SO he had to go get the granny. Henry,
determined to reach freedom, left after the baby was born. He assured his wife that he would return
for her and his children. Henry successfully reached the fodder house early on Christmas
morning.
In the morning, Harriet and her brothers looked through the window at their mother. Tubman
later told her biographer that they could see their mother through the little window sitting by the fire
with
her head on her hand. She was rocking back and forth like she did when she was wondering what
had happened to her children. (Cited from Ebony, December 1984, p.56)
The hardest part of their journey was still ahead of them. The trip consisted of going
northward and eastward to the Delaware line and once there northward to Wilmington, Delaware.
They traveled
by night and hid during the day. Tubman would hide the group and then go on ahead to scout the
area for food or assistance and occasionally a change in route was needed.
In Wilmington, they were aided by Thomas Garrett, a famous Underground Railroad
conductor. He wrote a letter to J. Miller McKim of the Philadelphia Vigilance committee that he had
sent Harriet Tubman with six men and one woman to Annem Agnew's on the night of December 28,
and they were to be forwarded across the country to the city. Tubman and her passengers were
received and examined by William Still, the courageous black leader of the Underground Railroad.
He considered Tubman to be a great leader of her time and one of the most brave women ever to
live. According to Still, she was a woman who did not know fear and no human being could ever
be compared to her. She was without equal. (Cited from Ebony, December 1984, p.58)
From Philadelphia, the group traveled to New York City, Troy, Syracuse, and Rochester, New
York. They walked most of the way, but boats, wagons, and eventually railroads were also used.
This part of the journey was not as dangerous as the first few hundred miles, but it was still
hazardous. The group rejoiced as they crossed Suspension Bridge into Canada, where they were
finally free.
2
Tubman's amazing successes sprang in part from her quick and inventive mind. On one
occasion, fearing pursuers were close at hand, she and her fugitives boarded a
southbound train to avoid suspicion. On another rescue mission, Tubman had just
purchased some live chickens when she saw her former master. She threw down the
chickens and chased after them before he could recognize her.
3
She also had a wry sense of humor. By 1851 the Fugitive Slave Law was forcing
conductors to lead slaves all the way to Canada. On one such trip a very frightened slave
would not say a word or even look at the scenery while crossing into Canada with Tubman
on a real train. But when the man realized he was on free soil, he began to sing and shout
so loud that no one could shut him up. An exasperated Tubman finally cried out, "You old
fool, you! You might at least have looked at Niagara Falls on the way to freedom!"
&
Biographer Sarah Bradford called her, "the heaven guided pioneer through
dangers seen and unseen."
Once in the north, "I looked at my hands to see if I was de same person now>
I was free," she told Bradford. "Dere was such a glory ober eberything, de sun
5
came like gold through de trees and ober de fields, and I felt like I was heaven."
Cuoter
407
Men who are partners in the redemptive task of God Himself have all the
dignity of personal life that is required to live them out of mediocrity, but
omes yours-and yourself
their glorification does not come at the expense of others or by means of
or all their persons are your
antagonism.
h that serve them are yours.
TRUMAN, Harry S
course in this world, is that
(1884 - 1972)
life at once honorable and
le world as God does.
In the cause of freedom. we have to battle for the rights of people with
whom we do not agree. and whom in many cases we may not like. If we do
not defend their rights, we endanger our own.
One of the difficulties with all our institutions is the fact that we've
te that is full, and rich, and
emphasized the reward instead of the service.
We cannot hope to command brotherhood abroad unless we practice it at
'hell' is from the old English
home.
ce; to be helled was to be shut
TRUTH, Sojourner
(1797 1883)
de the world from within. He
ces allows the process to be
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn this world
nce. Find your center and live
upside down all alone, then we together ought to be able to turn it right side
degree that you do this, you
up again.
ger in it.
Religion without humanity is a poor human stuff.
TSE, Meng
ime doing for ourselves.
(a.372-289RC)
SSS by searching for it directly.
The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.
happiness we give to others.
TSE-TUNG, Mao
(1893 1976)
We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the
ne great have to give, they give
sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced. he would have an
tern of life, and they appear
entirely different view.
is, renewing themselves as the
TUBMAN, Harriet
(1823 - 1913)
There were two things I had a right to, liberty and death. If I could not have
one, I would have the other.
'g the meaning of human life
Twant me, 'twas the Lord. I always told him, "I trust you. I don't know
IOWS full well he will never sit.
where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me," and he always did.
on
Tscherinoff-Tubmar
Tuck
1 not return until four-
[The Colonial Records of N. C., vols. VII, VIII
ing a group of slaves, she enforced a rule which
the commencement of
(1890) Documents Relative to the Colonial Hist. of
er 1775, fearing for his
the State of New-York, VIII (1857), ed. by E. B.
she herself had laid down, threatening with death
O'Callaghan ; "The MSS. of the Earl of Dartmouth,"
any passenger who thought of surrender or at-
efuge on board ship in
Great Britain. Hist. MSS. Commission Eleventh Re-
tempted to return. She seemed absolutely fear-
he remained until the
port, app. pt. 5 (1887), Fourteenth Report, app. pt. 10
troops in August 1776.
(1895) ; Gentleman's Mag., Dec. 1757, p. 577, Feb.
less and was willing to endure any hardship. To
1788, p. 179; Army Lists, 1755-1783; R. D. W. Con-
a remarkable degree she was guided in her work
:nted the restoration of
nor, Hist. of N. C., vol. I (1919) J. S. Bassett, "The
Regulators of North Carolina," Amer. Hist. Assn. Re-
by visions and sustained by her faith in God.
ugh he busied himself
port 1894 (1895); M. D. Haywood, Gov. William
John Brown, who met her in Canada and sub-
h of allegiance to all
Tryon and his Administration of the Province of N. C.
sequently referred to her as "General" Tubman,
he was essentially a
(1903) Lorenzo Sabine, Biog. Sketches of Loyalists
confided in her and relied on her for assistance
for a more active part
of the Amer. Rev., new ed. (1864), vol. II. The date
for birth given in this sketch is taken from copy of
in his campaign against slavery in Virginia.
advanced to the rank
epitaph in Haywood, ante, and for death Ibid., and from
She was well known in the office of the Na-
1777 obtained permis-
Gentleman's Mag., ante, although the D. N. B. gives
birth-date as 1725 and death-date as Dec. 27, 1788.]
tional Anti-Slavery Standard in New York and
of Loyalists. He was
L.W.L.
in abolition circles in Boston and from time to
ajor-general in Amer-
onel of the 70th Foot.
TSCHERINOFF, MARIE VAN ZANDT
time was presented as a speaker at anti-slavery
es consisted in a series
[See VAN ZANDT, MARIE, 1858-1919].
meetings. After the outbreak of the Civil War
she was sent to Gen. David Hunter in South
which succeeded well
TUBMAN, HARRIET (c. 1821-Mar. 10,
Carolina with a letter from Governor Andrew
bying supplies and di-
1913), fugitive slave, abolitionist, was born in
of Massachusetts and attached herself to the
ut's energies from sup-
Dorchester County on the Eastern Shore of
Union army, working as cook, laundress, and
my to home defense.
Maryland, the daughter of Benjamin Ross and
nurse; frequently acting as guide in scouting
yon's vindictive spirit
Harriet Greene, both slaves. She was first named
parties and raids; and rendering noteworthy
ressed a wish to "burn
Araminta, but early assumed the name Harriet.
service as a spy within the Confederate lines.
ouse within my reach"
In childhood she received a head injury to which
After the war Harriet continued to labor for
736), and Sir Henry
have been attributed spells of somnolence which
her people. For a time she was concerned with
privately disapproved
overtook her without warning at intervals dur-
an attempt to establish schools for freedmen in
e carried his acts of
ing the rest of her life. From her early teens
North Carolina. She was able to finish paying
SS., post, Eleventh Re-
she worked as a field hand-plowing, loading
for her home in Auburn with the proceeds of a
liness, which had fre-
and unloading wood-an activity which de-
little book, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tub-
throughout his Amer-
veloped in her great strength and remarkable
man (1869), written for her benefit by Mrs.
S return to England.
powers of endurance. In 1844, her master forced
Sarah Hopkins Bradford and published through
nant-general in 1782
her to marry a man named John Tubman who
the generosity of Gerrit Smith, Wendell Phil-
th Foot the next year,
Inc
was unfaithful to her. Much later she married
lips [qq.v.], and certain Auburn neighbors. Here
He died at his Lon-
a man named Nelson Davis. About 1849 she
in her own home she supported several children
in the family tomb at
made her escape from slavery, guided in her
and penniless old people, being further aided by
AUBURN
flight only by the north star, It was not long
the proceeds of a revised edition of Mrs. Brad-
ness to settle disputes
afterwards that she became one of the most con-
ford's book, Harriet the Moses of Her People
fact that he achieved
spicuous figures in the work of the "Underground
(1886), The Harriet Tubman Home for in-
th most of those with
Railroad," winning the appellation "Moses" by
digent aged negroes continued to exist for a
al contact. He was a
leading, in all, more than three hundred slaves
number of years after her death, and the citi-
stablished church and
from bondage to freedom in the North and
zens of Auburn erected a shaft in her memory.
nt to education. His
Canada.
[S. H. Bradford, Harriet the Moses of Her People,
make extensive tours
From the time of her escape until the begin-
which was reprinted in 1901, contains reminiscences
es. He was intensely
ning of the Civil War she was busy making
and testimonials from all the prominent Abolitionists
mentioned above, a number of the Union officers under
ays expected rewards
journeys into the South to lead out slaves. An
whom Harriet served, and others. See also P. E. Hop-
the suppression of the
important "station" on one of her routes was the
kins, "Harriet Tubman (Moses)," Colored American
ght, worth at least a
Mag., Jan.-Feb. 1902; Freedmen's Record, Mar. 1865;
home of the Quaker Thomas Garrett [q.v.] of
Lillie B. C. Wyman, "Harriet Tubman," New England
g qualities of his na-
Wilmington, Del., who gave her all the help
Mag., Mar. 1896; American Mag., Aug. 1912; W. H.
up by an unfriendly
Siebert, The Underground Railroad (1898); H. H.
within his power. Between her journeys she
Swift. The Railroad to Freedom (1932) Albany Eve-
wrote of him as "the
worked as a cook in order to raise the money she
ning Jour., Mar. 11, 1913; N. Y. Times, Mar. 14, 1913.]
quintessence of vani-
needed to aid the fugitives. In 1857 she rescued
D.B.P.
:rous, perfectly good-
her own parents, who were very old, and settled
TUCK, AMOS (Aug. 2, 1810-Dec. II, 1879),
ve, but weak and-vain
them in Auburn, N. Y., on a little tract of land
congressman, was born at Parsonsfield, Me.,
ou should keep such
purchased from William H. Seward. Although
fourth of six children of John and Betsey
excellent for a Court
she could neither read nor write, her shrewdness
(Towle) Tuck, and a descendant of Robert Tuck
's of North Carolina,
in planning hazardous enterprises and skill in
who settled on the New Hampshire coast in
avoiding arrest were phenomenal. When rescu-
1638. His parents were people of strong char-
27
Tryon
Hollywood, such as All That Glitters: Five Novellas (1986).
Leaving school, he traveled to France to study the works of
helped I
He lived in New York City.
French socialist Pierre Joseph Proudhon, on whom he
Blake a:
Tryon, William (1729-88) colonial governor, Loyalist; born in
became an authority. He translated and published at his own
great su
Surrey, England. He served as governor of North Carolina
expense Proudhon's celebrated work under the title What is
appear
(1765-71) and of New York (1771-75). Later, he led Loyalist
Property? (1876). He founded the Radical Review (1877),
especiall
attacks on Connecticut (1780). Although a capable adminis-
but his most famous publication was the broadsheet, Liberty,
years s}
trator, he was too prone to use force.
which was issued regularly (1881-1908) and became a widely
Mamas.
Tuan, Yi-Fu (1930- ) geographer; born in Tients'in, China.
read clearinghouse for unorthodox thought. A brilliant
Tucker, S
He emigrated to England in 1946 and to the United States in
polemicist, he wrote much of Liberty himself while on the
Bermud:
1951. He studied at Oxford and the University of California:
staff of the Boston Globe (1878) and then as editor of the
lieutena
Berkeley before becoming a professor at the University of
Engineering Magazine in New York City (1892). An outspo-
general
Wisconsin: Madison (1983). One of the newer generation of
ken, at times literary voice for individualist anarchism, he
Mary (1:
geographers concerned with broader philosophical issues of
defied police arrest by selling banned books. His publishing
11) and
the subject, he was a prolific author; his books include
venture collapsed (1908) when his New York establishment
importar
Topophilia (1974), Space and Place (1977), Landscapes of
was destroyed by fire. He moved to France and never again
Proposal
Fear (1979), and Morality and Imagination: Paradoxes of
found much of a public for his writings. He and his family
annotate
Progress (1989).
moved to Monaco (1926) and letters from the 1930s reflect a
Tuckerma
Tubb, Ernest (1914-84) country music songwriter, performer;
growing despair at the rise of totalitarianism.
Mass. (b
born near Crisp, Texas. After recording for RCA Victor and
Tucker, Henry St. George (1780-1848) jurist; born in Chester-
a law de
Decca, he joined the "Grand Ole Opry" in 1943. His own
field County, Va. (son of St. George Tucker). Member of the
Europe (
radio program, Midnight Jamboree, helped launch the
Virginia house and senate and the U.S. House of Representa-
Fries. H
careers of the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley. Tubb's
tives (Dem.-Rep., Va; 1815-19), and a superior court judge
43), then
drawling vocal style, unaffected lyrics, and espousal of the
(1824-31), he was elected president of the Virginia Supreme
(1847) a
electric guitar made him a major influence on honky tonk
Court in 1831. In 1841 he became professor of law at the
historical
music. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in
University of Virginia, initiating its "Honor System." A
College
1965.
soldier in the War of 1812 and the author of light verse, he
botany (
Tubman, Harriet (b. Ross) (c. 1820-1913) abolitionist; born
wrote important legal commentaries.
New Eng
in Bucktown, Md. Reared in slavery, she married a free
Tucker, John Randolph (1823-97) lawyer, professor, con-
An Arra
black, John Tubman, in 1844. He opposed her plans to flee
consider
gressman; born in Winchester, Va. (son of Henry St. George
north, so she escaped alone via the Underground Railroad
Tucker, 1780-1848). Attorney general of Virginia (1857-
Ravine it
(1849); over the next decade she led nearly 300 Maryland
65), professor and dean at Washington & Lee University
Tuckerma
slaves to safety, including several siblings and her elderly
(1870-74, 1889-97), U.S. Representative (Dem., Va.; 1875-
Boston,
parents. Known as "the Moses of her people," she was
87), he maintained a law practice (1865-97), often appearing
School th
devoutly religious and a believer in decisive action. She
before the U.S. Supreme Court. He championed states'
he practi
helped John Brown organize his 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry,
rights, tariff reform, and the Constitution.
Greenfiel
Va., but was prevented by illness from accompanying him.
Tucker, Richard (b. Reuben Ticker) (1913-75) opera tenor;
omy (184
During the Civil War she repeatedly went behind enemy
born in New York City. He started singing in synagogues as a
his sonne
lines to spy for the Union and recruit slaves to fight in the
child and was working as a fur salesman in New York when
study of I
army. In her later years, living in Auburn, N.Y., she helped
he married the sister of established tenor, Jan Peerce, who
Tuckerma
support relatives and other former slaves and raised money
born in
challenged him to take voice lessons. He made his Metropoli-
for freedmen's schools and a home for elderly blacks.
withdrew
tan Opera debut in 1945, becoming an internationally
Tuchman, Barbara (1912-89) historian; born in New York
popular lyric tenor. He continued to sing as a cantor on
34). He
City. After graduating from Radcliffe College (1933) and
special occasions.
settled in
reporting on the Spanish Civil War for the Nation (1937-38),
Tucker, Robert (C.) (1918- ) Slavic specialist, educator:
is regard
she turned to the study of history. Her career as a
born in Kansas City, Mo. A guiding force in the analysis of
arts, but
nonacademic, best-selling historian began in earnest with her
the modern Soviet state, he taught longest at Princeton
many boc
fourth book, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Guns of August
University (1962) where he was named professor emeritus
American
(1962). Stillwell and the American Experience in China,
(1984). He was chairman of the Council on International and
Tudor, Dav
1911-45 (1971) won a second Pulitzer. Her six best-sellers
Regional Studies (1977-80) and director of the Program in
phia. A fo
sold many millions of copies.
Russian Studies (1963-73, 1980-82). A member of the
edge of tl
Tuchman, Maurice (1936- ) museum curator; born in New
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1975), he was the
John Cage
York City. He graduated in art history from City College of
author of a number of books on the former Soviet Union and
Tudor, Fre
New York in 1957 and took a master's degree from Columbia
Stalinism. These included Politics As Leadership (1983).
Mass. He
University two years later. He became curator of 20th-
Political Culture and Leadership in Soviet Russia: From
cargoes 01
Charlesto
century art at the Los Angeles County Museum (1964). An
Lenin to Gorbachev (1987), and Stalin in Power: The
expert on contemporary art, he wrote extensively for
Revolution from Above (1929-41) (1992).
(1833). K1
professional journals.
Tucker, Sophie (b. Sonia Kalish) (1884-1966) singer, enter-
a leading
Tucker, Benjamin (Ricketson) (1854-1939) anarchist, re-
Tudor, Tast
tainer; born in Russia. Brought to the U.S.A. as a child, she
former; born in South Darmouth, Mass. Although he
first performed on vaudeville in blackface, singing ragtime
tor; born
Museum
attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1870-
melodies. She almost stole the show in the Ziegfield Follies of
Tudor, wa
73), he was more drawn to social reform than engineering
1909 and returned as a star to vaudeville, abandoning
and became a convert to individualist anarchism (1872).
name and
blackface but continuing in the African-American style. She
742
Currently Published Books
Titles For Children:
A Champion
THE STORY OF HARRIET TUBMAN,
Freedom Train . Dorothy Sterling
1954 Scholastic, Inc., New York, NY.
of Freedom
HARRIET TUBMAN,
The Road to Freedom* Rae Bains
1982 Troll Assoc., Mahwah, NJ.
HARRIET TUBMAN,
ris CARINES
They Called Me Moses* Linda D. Meyer
IN MEMORY OF
1988 Dell Publishing, New York, NY.
HARRIET TUBMAN
GO FREE OR DIE:
BORN A SEAVE IN MARYLAND ABOUT 1821
A Story about Harriet Tubman" Jeri Ferris
DiED IN ACBURN N.Y MARCH 100.1913
1988 Carolrhoda Books, Inc.,
CALLED THE MOSES OF HER PEOPLE
Minneapolis, MN.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR. WITH RARE
COURAGE SHE I.ED OVERTHREE HUNDRED
HARRIET TUBMAN AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH,
NEGROES UP FROM SLAVERY 10 FREEDOM.
Polly Carter
AND RENDERED INVALUABLE SERVICE
1990 Silver Press
AS NURSE AND SPY.
Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
WITH IMPLICIT TRUST IN GOD
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
SHE BRAVED EVERY DANGER AND
THE STORY. OF HARRIET TUBMAN,
OVERCAME EVERY OBSTACLE, WITHAL
SHE POSSESSED EXTRAORDINARY
Conductor of the Underground Railroad
Kate McMullan
FORESIGHT AND JUDGMENT so THAT
1991 Dell Publishing, New York, NY
SHE TRUTHFULLY SAID-
ON MY UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Related Titles:
I NEBBER RUN MY TRAIN OFF DE TRACK
FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD,
AND 1 NEBBER LOS A PASSENGER:
Jeanette Winter
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED
1988 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
New York, NY.
BY THE CITIZENS OF AUBURN
1914
Titles For Adults:
HARRIET TUBMAN,
Conductor On The Underground Railroad
Ann Petry
1971 Pocket Books
Division of Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.
HARRIET TUBMAN,
harriet Juhman home
The Moses Of Her People
Sarah Bradford
180 South Street
1981 Peter Smith, Gloucester, MA.
Auburn, NY 13021
HARRIET TUBMAN,
Judith Bently
Harriet Tubman
315-252-2081
1990 An Impact Biography, Franklin Watts
New York, NY.
Rev. Paul G. Carter
Related Titles:
Liberator
Resident Manager
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD,
E-mail: [email protected]
Charles L. Blockson
Soldier
1989 Prentice Hall Press
Website address:
Division of Simon & Schuster
http://www.NYHistory.com/harettubman
New York, NY.
Missionary
Harriet Tubman, born a slave in
Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, Wendell
1820 or 1821 in Bucktown, near Cambridge
Phillips, Parker Pillsbury, Massachusetts
on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, was one
Governor Andrew, Frederick Douglass,
of eleven children of Harriet Green and
and Secretary of State William H. Seward.
Benjamin Ross.
Directly after the war, she settled in
Escaping from the bonds of slavery in
Auburn, New York where she lived in a
the summer of 1849, she traveled by night
home obtained through her lifelong friend,
through Maryland and Delaware to Phila-
William H. Seward. Miss Sarah H.
delphia, from there to New York and
Bradford became greatly interested in her
thence over into Canada. "I had reasoned
and wrote a history of her life, giving
this out in my mind," she said, "there was
"Aunt Harriet" the proceeds of its sale to
one of two things I had a right to -
carry on her mission of mercy. Harriet
Liberty or death. If I could not have one, I
Tubman came into possession of another
could have the other, for no man should
property, consisting of twenty-six acres of
take me alive, I shall fight for my liberty
land, on which two splendid houses stood.
and when the time comes for me to go, the
slaves out of the South by an ever-shifting
At the time, the property was worth
Lord will let them kill me."
series of hiding places. The secrets of the
$6,000, but was burdened with a mortgage
But what did freedom mean to her, when
"Underground Railroad" were so well kept
of $1,700. It was her daily prayer that this
every wind from the South was charged
that, even today, not too much is known
might be removed, so that she could
with plaintive cries of her oppressed
about it.
bequeath it, free of debt, to her race, to be
brethren for deliverance? It was mockery
Harriet Tubman's motto was "Keep
used forever as an old folks' home: In
so long as she could hear the crack of the
Going". She was accustomed to saying to
1906, she deeded this property to the
overseer's whip, the clanking of slave
the slaves when she led them toward
A.M.E. Zion Church Connection.
chains, and the heart-rending cries of
freedom, "Children, if you are tired, keep
The hope of the A.M.E. Zion Church
mothers, bereft of their dear ones at the
going; if you are scared, keep going; if you
Connection is to continue the practice
auction block.
are hungry, keep going; if you want to
begun by Harriet Tubman by planning a
Harriet Tubman then began what she
taste freedom, keep going" On one trip
National Non-Sectarian Group to expand
knew must be done. She made nineteen
out of the South, she brought her own
the property into a home for the aged, a
trips South, rescuing more than three
family. When she found her mother
meeting place for youth conferences and a
hundred slaves from the "Jaws of Hell".
Her
Most of her traveling was done in the
quite?
unwilling to leave behind her feather
cultural enrichment center. This would
bedtick and her father his broad-axe and
fulfill her dream for making this property
cheerless solitude of night, with no protec-
other tools, she bundled up bedtick, tools,
an institution for the service of all her
tion other than her cunning, no guide save
mother, father and all and landed them in
people.
the north star and no hope of reward save
Canada.
On March 10, 1913, in the fiftieth year of
the consciousness that she was "about her
During the Civil War, she rendered
emancipation, Harriet Tubman died. She
Father's business". Such a terror did she
invaluable service to the Union Army as
was buried with military rites in Fort Hill
become to the slave-holders of Maryland
spy, scout and hospital nurse. With the
Cemetery, Auburn, New York. The next
that a reward of $40,000 was offered for
general of her army, whatever she said,
year, this city declared an unprecedented
her head. Rightly called "The Moses of
went. She was at the memorable battle of
one-day memorial to this courageous
her people" she was bold, daring and
Fort Wagner and it was she who prepared
champion of freedom. On this day, Au-
elusive. All of her trips were carefully
the last breakfast eaten by the gallant
burn citizens unveiled the Harriet Tubman
planned and brilliantly executed through
Colonel R. G. Shaw.
Plaque which still stands at the entrance to
the use of the "Underground Railroad", a
She numbered among her friends such
the Cayuga County Court House in Au-
flexible but effective method of spiriting
great abolitionists as John Brown, William
burn.
Tubman, Harriet
http://women.eb.com/women/articles/Tubman_Harriet.htm
Articles
Media Gallery
Tubman, Harriet
In Her OwnWords
(1820?-1913), abolitionist
Britannica Classics
Weekly Quiz
Born a slave about 1820 on a
Ask the Experts
plantation in Dorchester county,
Maryland, Araminta Greene later
Women's History
adopted her mother's first name,
on the Web
Harriet. From early childhood she
Recommended
Reading
worked variously as a maid, a
nurse, a field hand, a cook, and a
Study Guide
woodcutter. About 1844 she
Britannica Online
married John Tubman, a free
Negro.
In 1849, on the strength of rumors
that she was about to be sold, she
fled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In December 1850 she made her
way to Baltimore, Maryland,
whence she led her sister and two
children to freedom. That journey
Harriet Tubman
was the first of some 19
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; neg.
increasingly dangerous forays into
no. LC USZ 62 7816
Maryland in which, over the next
decade, she conducted upwards of
300 fugitive slaves along the "Underground Railroad" to Canada. By
her extraordinary courage, ingenuity, persistence, and iron discipline,
which she enforced upon her charges, she became the railroad's most
famous conductor and was known as the "Moses of her people."
Rewards offered by slaveholders for her capture eventually totaled
$40,000. Abolitionists, however, celebrated her courage. John Brown,
who consulted her about his own plans, referred to her as "General"
Tubman. About 1858 she bought a small farm near Auburn, New York,
where she placed her aged parents (she had brought them out of
Maryland in June 1857) and herself lived thereafter. From 1862 to 1865
she served as a scout and spy, as well as nurse and laundress, for Union
forces in South Carolina.
After the Civil War she settled in Auburn and began taking in orphans
and old people, a practice that eventuated in the Harriet Tubman Home
for Indigent Aged Negroes. The home later attracted the support of
former abolitionist comrades and of the citizens of Auburn, and it
continued in existence for some years after her death. In the late 1860s
and again in the late 1890s she applied for a federal pension for her
Civil War services. Some 30 years after her service a private bill
providing for $20 monthly was passed by Congress. She died in
Auburn, New York, on March 10, 1913.
Bibliography. Earl Conrad, Harriet Tubman (1943, reissued 1969).
Copyright © 1998 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2 of 2
06/25/98 11:05:33
Harriet Tubman Home honors life, times of a courageous woman
http://www.syracuse.com/discover/sundaydriver/files/0222DRIV.html
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The Sunday Driver:
Harriet Tubman Home honors life, times of a
courageous woman
Published Feb. 22, 1998, in the Herald American.
This sign greets visitors to the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn.
Tubman housed elderly African Americans at the home in the
years following the Civil War.
Photo by Stephen D. Cannerelli, Staff Photographer
By Barbara Stith, Staff Writer, The Syracuse
Newspapers
Copyright © 1998, Syracuse OnLine.
The home is a clapboard farmhouse, its rooms plain and
HARRIET
functional.
NOVE
The Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn is not a historic
180
site where visitors should expect to admire remarkable
architecture or furniture.
Instead, they can admire the remarkable life of one of the giants of American history: Harriet Tubman,
Underground Railroad conductor; a Civil War nurse, scout and spy; a woman whose courage remains an
inspiration 85 years after her death.
The home opened for the season this month, which is Black History Month, and will remain open
through October. But plan on a weekday visit, or make an appointment for a Saturday tour. The home is
not open Sundays or Monday.
Tubman escaped from slavery when she was in her late 20s. But she returned south repeatedly to free
others, traveling there so often - and helping others escape so well - that a $40,000 reward was posted for
her capture. Tubman was undaunted. "She was willing to go back into the jaws of slavery," says the Rev.
Paul G. Carter, resident manager of the Harriet Tubman Home.
Tubman made 19 trips south and led more than 300 slaves to freedom, earning her the title "the Moses
of her people."
"One thing she was, she was determined," Carter says.
That a woman would have been pressed into service as a scout and spy for the Union Army was
unusual to say the least, Carter says, but Tubman's skills and fearlessness were well known by then.
Some Army officers adapted her nickname and called her "General Moses."
Her faith in God kept her going. Tubman suffered blackouts - what probably would be referred to today
as the sleep disorder narcolepsy - but she viewed them as a help rather than a hindrance to her work.
"She believed that was when God talked to her and directed her," Carter says.
Tubman married twice and had no children. Many details of her life are unknown; even the year of her
birth is uncertain, listed-as-1820-or1821
/
The lives of other historic figures often are revealed in their journals. But as a slave, Tubman was
prohibited from learning to read or write. When the punishment for learning to read was as horrific as
having one's eyes gouged out, Carter says, there was hardly an incentive for Tubman to seek an
education.
Her literacy was a different kind, he says. She could read nature - the position of the stars, the moss on
the north side of a tree - to point her in the right direction.
Tubman settled in Auburn when the Civil War ended, securing a house through the efforts of her friend
William H. Seward, the former New York governor who served as secretary of state under Presidents
Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. The Seward House is only a mile or so down South Street from
the Tubman home.
1 of 3
06/22/98 12:32:51
Harriet Tubman Home honors life, times of a courageous woman
http://www.syracuse.com/discover/sundaydriver/files/0222DRIV.hm
the Tubman home.
Tubman's work continued even after the war. Elderly African Americans weren't accepted at the home
for the elderly in Auburn, so Tubman turned her house into a home for them. That's the building that's
open to the public now. Another house on the site, a brick structure, is in the process of being nominated
to state and national historic registers and will be renovated. A third house on the property, which was
thought to have been part of the Underground Railroad, was destroyed in a fire in 1949.
The home for the elderly barely survived the ravages of time. A photograph in the parlor shows how it
looked in 1945: abandoned, windows missing, its clapboards gone. The story that's told, Carter says, is
that the clapboards were removed during the Depression because they made good firewood. The home
was restored in 1952 under the auspices of the A.M.E. Zion Church, to whom Tubman deeded the
property.
Visitors start their tour in a parlor that's dominated by a portrait of Tubman, then move past a bedroom
into a kitchen and a dining room. The bedroom furniture and a treadle sewing machine belonged to
Tubman, and the other pieces of furniture are antiques that date to the late 1800s, when the house would
have been in use. Tubman's descendants, some of whom still live in the Syracuse and Auburn areas,
donated her possessions to the home.
The best place to begin a visit is at the library on the site, where a video explains Tubman's work. After
the video, visitors are encouraged to look through the library and learn more not only about Tubman but
about African-American history.
The library, with 500 books by or about African Americans, is privately operated, but the public is
encouraged to use its resources. The A.M.E. Zion Church still owns the property and provides most of
the money for its operation. The rest comes from donations and sales; the home doesn't receive state or
federal money.
Carter or his wife, Christine, leads visitors through the house, and they end the tour with the hope that
visitors will leave with a better appreciation of Tubman's work and the role of African Americans in
history. Tubman inevitably leaves people with a positive impression, Carter says.
"She means courage to some people," says Carter. "Courage, determination, steadfastness, hope,
freedom, tenacity - all those good words."
If you go
Where: Harriet Tubman Home, 180 South St., Auburn.
Phone: 252-2081.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Saturday tours are available by appointment only.
Closed Sundays and Mondays. The site has regular hours February through October, with tours by
appointment in November and December.
Directions: From Syracuse, take Route 5 to Route 20 to Auburn. Once in downtown Auburn, look for
South Street (Route 34) on your left. The Tubman home is about 3 miles down South Street on the left;
the entrance is marked by brick pillars, each of which has a picture of Tubman.
Admission: A donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children is requested.
Tip: History buffs who want to include a visit to the nearby Seward House, 33 South St., need to wait a
few more weeks. The Seward House doesn't open until April. It was the home of William Seward,
former New York governor and U.S. secretary of state.
Copyright (c) 1998 The Herald Company. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, except
for personal, non-commercial use, and may not be distributed, transmitted or otherwise used, except with the prior
written permission of Syracuse OnLine.
TALK BACK
Talkback! Tell us what you think.
2 of 3
06/22/98 12:33:23
04-29 98 15:18 HTUBMANHOME
T:4
P:04
PROJECT PLAN
FOR
RESTORATION & INTERPRETATION
OF THE
HARRIET TUBMAN HISTORIC SITE
AUBURN, NEW YORK
DECEMBER 11, 1997
Introduction: The following outline has been prepared to guide research, documentation,
planning, and restoration of the buildings and sites which comprise the Harriet Tubman Historic
Site. These include the Harriet Tubman House, Home for the Aged, the Multi-Purpose Building.
the Library, the Site on South Street which encompasses these buildings, and the Church and
associated site on Parker Street.
Fee Estimates: Projected fees are based on the services of a team of professionals assembled
specifically for this work and comprised of experienced preservation architects, conservation
consultants, preservation planners, research assistants, historical archeologists, and historic
landscape architects. Additional costs for project coordination and contract administration are
included. Many services are interdependent and cannot be isolated from the total scope without
increasing the fees for these components.
Construction Cost Estimates: The construction cost estimates provided are general figures
offered for budget purposes based on limited evaluation of existing building and site conditions.
PART ONE: PLANNING & RESEARCH
A. Preliminary Research & Documentation: Assemble available base information and
historical data, take new record photographs, develop preliminary measured drawings, and
undertake initial field investigation at the Harriet Tubman House, Home for the Aged,
Church, Site, Library. and Multi-Purpose Building.
Fees:
$20,000
B. Short-Term Stabilization: Identify and undertake critical stabilization work necessary
to ensure preservation of the buildings and sites until appropriate restoration can begin.
Fees:
$4,000
Construction:
$10.000
Total
$14,000
C. Cultural Landscape Report: Undertake a detailed study of the entire site (including that
at the Church) addressing existing conditions. historical conditions and uses, site
development, and site associations with Harriet Tubman.
Fees:
$28.000
D. Archeological Assessment: Undertake Stage la and 1b archeological assessment in
conjunction with research for the Cultural Landscape Report and Historic Structures
Reports. Identify areas of potential archeological significance, execute preliminary
investigation, and prepare recommendations for additional investigation and/or mitigation.
Fees:
$7,000
CRAWFORD & STEARNS ARCHITECTS AND PRESERVATION PLANNERS SYRACUSE. NEW YORK
(315) 471-2162 471-2162
04-29 YB 15:19 HTUBMANHUME
1:4
P:05
E. Historic Structures Reports & Restoration Plans: Undertake intensive research
and field investigation of the existing historic buildings (Tubman House, Home for the
Aged, and Church) with detailed documentation of specific building features and conditions
not recorded previously, documentation of historic finish treatments, and schematic
drawings and recommendations for restoration and/or historic interpretation.
Fees:
Tubman House:
$13,000
Home for the Aged:
$8,000
Church:
$11.000
Total:
$32,000
F.
Master Plan: Assist with program development and long-range planning for the entire
complex including identification of use needs, relationships of existing buildings, future
building needs, and related site development.
Fees:
$12,000
G. Preliminary Interpretation & Exhibit Planning: Conceptual planning for
interpretation of the buildings and sites to the public and for the design of exhibits and
educational site features.
Fees:
$6,000
Part One Total:
$119,000
PART TWO:
BUILDING RESTORATION & SITE DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
A. Building Restoration Construction Documents: Prepare drawings, details,
technical specifications, and bid documents for restoration of the Tubman House, Home for
the Aged, and Church, and limited rehabilitation of the Multi-Purpose Building and Library.
All mechanical and electrical systems shall be addressed on a performance basis.
Fees:
$32,000
B. Site Development Construction Documents: Prepare drawings, details, technical
specifications, and bid documents for site development at South Street and the Church.
Fees:
$18,000
Part Two Total:
$50,000
PART THREE:
BUILDING RESTORATION & SITE DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION PHASE
A. Building Restoration & Rehabilitation: Execution of physical improvements based
on documents developed in Part Two above, including related professional services for
bidding and construction phase.
Harriet Tubman House: Fees:
$7,000
Construction:
$120,000
$127,000
Church:
Fees:
$7,000
Construction:
$140.000
$147,000
CRAWFORD & STEARNS ARCHITECTS AND PRESERVATION PLANNERS SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
04-29 98 15:20 HTUBMANHUME
1:4
P:06
Home for the Aged:
Fees:
$5,000
Construction:
$80,000
$85,000
Library:
Fees:
$3,000
Construction:
$40,000
$43,000
Multi-Purpose Building:
Fees:
$3,000
Construction:
$40,000
$43,000
Total
$445,000
B. Site Development: Execution of physical improvements based on documents developed
in Part Two, including related professional services for bidding and construction phase.
Fees:
$8,000
Construction:
$150,000
Total
$158,000
C.
Exhibit Design & Construction: Final design, construction, and installation of
exhibits and interpretive devices in the Tubman House, Home for the Aged, Church,
Library, Multi-Purpose Building, and Site based on concepts developed in Part One above.
Fccs:
$35,000
Construction:
$100,000
Total
$135,000
Part Three Total:
$738,000
Project Subtotal:
$907,000
Add 10% Contingency:
$90,700
Add 5% for 1998/1999 Execution:
$45,350
Total Project Costs:
$1,043,750
l'repared and Submitted By:
12/11/97
T.
Date
*
CRAWFORD & STEARNS ARCHITECTS AND PRESERVATION PLANNERS . SYRACUSE. NEW YORK
Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural. - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
http://www.virtuallyniagara.com/htccs/
Harriet Tubman Centre
for Cultural Services
Harriet Tubman in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Harriet
Church
Tours
Facts
Harriet Tubman
After the passing of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law Act, Harriet Tubman, one of
the famous and certainly one of the most courageous conductors of the
Underground Railroad (UGRR) movement, extended her anti-slavery activities
further north, to St.Catharines, Canada. Between 1851- 1858, she guided
hundreds of her brothers and sisters in bondage to St.Catharines and freedom.
Many of these dangerous rescue missions became the legends of Harriet
Tubman. With rewards set as high as $40,000, she managed to elude all bount
hunters. This courageous Black woman, who could not read or write, was neve
captured.
Shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, Harriet Tubman relocated to
Auburn, NY. She founded a Home for the Aged which she bequeathed to the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ) in Auburn. This historical
The Honorable Harriet Tubman
site is still maintained by members of the AME Zion Church and some of her
descendants
The St. Catharines British Methodist
Episcopal Church - Salem Chapel
In 1851, William Still the notable stationmaster in Philadelphia, instructed
Harriet to journey to t.Catharines where she would receive assistance from an
African-American Minister and UGRR agent, Hiram Wilson, at the African
Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). Shortly after arriving with eleven Freedo
Seekers, Harriet immediately became an active member of the church and an
indispensable member of the community. She rented a boarding house behind
the church to aid her people and she joined the local anti-slavery society. With
so many people arriving by way of the UGRR, a new and larger AME Church
was built in 1855. In 1856, some of the Canadian AME Churches severed their
ties with the USA AME Churches to form the British Methodist Episcopal
Church (BME).
Today the historical St.Catharines BME Church that Harriet Tubman attended
while she lived in Canada, remains as the oldest property, continuously owned
The historical St. Catharines BME
and occupied by African-Canadians in this city.
Church, home of the Harriet Tubman
site in CANADA.
It is a forgotten treasure in African-American history.
1 of 3
06/22/98 12:25:30
Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural... - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
http://www.virtuallyniagara.com/htccs/
Tours - (By Appointment Only)
Learn about the forgotten extensions of African-American history, and discover the UGRR in St.Catharines, Canada
and the surrounding Niagara Region with the Harriet Tubman Centre for Cultural Services (HTCCS). This
privatized Centre operates similarly to that of a tour company, which is dedicated to the preservation and promotion
of African-Canadian history, heritage and culture. Located in the historical Catharines BME Church, the HTCCS
offers educational tours and presentations provided by African-Canadians with an ancestral history directly linked to
the UGRR. The variety of subject matter encompasses the Honorable Harriet Tubman, the UGRR and the
African-Canadian experience.
Journey to the Promise Land -- Canada, and travel the freedom trail once used by the Freedom Seekers. Explore the
towns, view the sites and learn the history. Visit the historical .Catharines BME Church and feel the kindred spirits
of the many daring African-Americans who escaped from slavery. Stop at the gravesite of the legendary Baptist
Minister, Anthony Burns. It is reported that his recapture in 1854, incited the infamous Boston Slave Riots. View the
historic cemetery known as the Negro Burial Ground. See where W.E.B. DuBois initiated the first USA national
organization for Black Civil Rights called the Niagara Movement. In 1909 it was restructured to form the NAACP
and much more!!!
Facts
From 1851 - 1858, Harriet Tubman chose St. Catharines as her city of refuge and the British Methodist Episcopal
Church as her place of worship.
Many of the heroic rescue missions about Harriet Tubman were documented by stationmaster William Still, in
his 1871 book titled the Underground Railroad.
In 1852, the Great African-American Emancipator, Frederick Douglass visited Harriet Tubman in this city to discuss
the living conditions of the Freedom Seekers.
In April 1858, the famed abolitionist John Brown, first met Harriet Tubman in St.Catharines. During his formal
introduction he addressed her as "General Tubman".
Due to the efforts of Harriet Tubman, the City of St.Catharines was heralded as a major UGRR terminal. It would be
historically known as the "Last Stop on the Underground Railroad".
HARRIET TUBMAN WAS NOT AN ABDUCTOR
For additional information please contact the
Harriet Tubman Centre
for Cultural Services
92 Geneva Street, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2R 4N2
Tel: (905) 682-0993 Fax: (905) 688-9422
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://www.virtuallyniagara.com/htccs/
2 of 3
06/22/98 12:25:44
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church was founded in 1860 by Amanda
and Henry Foster, Rev. Jacob Thomas, and Hiram Jimerson. Amanda
Foster, considered the "Mother of the Church," was the driving force in
the formation of the congregation whose first meetings were held in her
confectionery store. Born in New York in 1806, Amanda, in possession
of her "free papers," obtained employment as a nurse to Arkansas
Governor Conway. While in Arkansas, she contributed to the
Underground Railroad movement by using her "free papers" to help a
young fugitive slave girl escape. She moved back to New York in 1837
and established her business in Tarrytown where she met and married
Henry Foster around 1845. In 1865, after five years of the congregation
meeting in the Foster confectionary store and other business
establishments, construction of the church began with funds donated primarily by the local Dutch
Reformed and Methodist congregations. During the Civil War, members of Foster AME helped to
provide food and shelter to fugitive slaves escaping to Canada, and also provided assistance to those
fugitive slaves who decided to settle in Tarrytown. Like most AME churches, Foster AME is a religious
and social crossroads for the black community, providing a meeting place for worship and a place for
public interaction. Foster AME Zion Church is located in Tarrytown, New York at 90 Wildey Street. It is
open to the public.
Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
Harriet Tubman (1821-1913), a renowned leader in the
Underground Railroad movement, established the Home
for the Aged in 1908. Born into slavery in Dorchester
County, Maryland, Tubman gained her freedom in 1849
when she escaped to Philadelphia. Working as a
domestic, she saved money until she had the resources
and contacts to rescue several of her family members in
1850. This marked the first of 19 trips back into
Maryland where Tubman guided approximately 300
people to freedom as far north as Canada. Maryland
planters offered a $40,000 reward for Tubman's capture at one point during her time as an Underground
Railroad conductor. Active during the Civil War, Tubman aided the Union Army as a spy, nurse, cook,
and guide. From Port Royal, South Carolina, in June of 1863, she directed a detachment of 150 African
Americans in a raid up the Combahee River, destroying Confederate mines, storehouses and crops, and
liberating about 800 slaves. Dedicating her life after the Civil War to helping former slaves, especially
children and the elderly, Tubman also became active in the women's rights movement and the AME Zion
Church. With the help of the AME Zion Church, Tubman established the Home for the Aged in 1908 on
the property that she had purchased at auction 50 years before from Governor William H. Seward
Tubman spent the last few years of her life at this house and died there in 1913 at the age of 93. Though
not directly associated with Tubman's activities with the Underground Railroad, the Tubman Home for
the Aged, a designated National Historic Landmark, is a tangible link to this brave and remarkable
woman who is known as "the Moses of her people." The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged is located
at 180-182 South Street in Auburn, New York. It is managed by the AME Zion Church and is open to
the public by appointment.
IEL:
Jun 10,98
10.40 NO 024 r.vi
NHL
Form 10-300
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE
(Rev. 6-72)
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Post-It Fax Note
7671
Date 6-17
pages 11
# of
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTOR
To
LISA MCCANN
From AUSTIN OBRICE
INVENTORY - NOMINATION
Co./Dept.
MILLENNIUM
Co. NY-SHPO
Phone #
Phone #
(Type all entries complete applical
518 237 8643
Fax #
Fax #
1. NAME
202 395 7834
X 279
COMMON:
Harriet Tubman Museum
AND/OR HISTORIC:
Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
LISA: 1st INSTALI
2.
LOCATION
MENT -HATTLET
STREET AND NUMBER:
180 - 182 South Street
TUBMAN HOME R
CITY OR TOWN:
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRI
Auburn
THE AGED NHI
STATE
CODE
COUNTY:
NOMINATION
New York
Cayuga
3. CLASSIFICATION
MATERIAL AM
CATEGORY
OWNERSHIP
ST,
KATYELES
(Check One)
District
Building
Public
Public Acquisitions
Occup
LIB. ETROCHURE
Site
Structure
Private
In Process
Unoce
IF QUESTIONS
Object
Both
Being Considered
Preser
in :
LET ME know
PRESENT USE (Check One or More " Appropriate)
AUSTIN
Apricultural
Government
Park
Transportation
- - ments
Commercial
Industrial
Private Residence
Other (Specify)
Educational
Milltary
Religious
SEE INSTP
Entertainment
Museum
Scientific
OWNER OF PROPERTY
OWNER'S NAME:
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
STREET AND NUMBER)
520 Red Cross Street
New York
STATE
CITY OR TOWN,
STATE:
GODF
Wilmington
North Carolina 28401
DC ATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION
COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC:
Cayuga Courthouse in Auburn City Hall
STREET AND NUMBER:
24 South Street
Cayuga
COUNTY:
CITY OR TOWN,
STATE
CODE
Auburn
New York
G
REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS
TITLE OF SURVEY:
DATE OF SURVEY,
Federal
State
County
Local
DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS
ENTRY NUMBER
STREET AND NUMBER:
CITY OR TOWNI
STATE:
CODE
DATE
IEL:
Jun 10.98 10.48 NU. 024 r.uz
9. SIGNIFICANCE
PERIOD (Check One or More " Approprinte)
Pre-Columbian:
16th Century
Ll 18th Century
20th Century
15th Century
17th Century
19th Century
SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known)
AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate)
Aboriginal
Education
11 Political
Urban Planning
Prohistoric
Engineering
Religion/Phi.
Other (Specify)
Historic
Industry
losophy
Afro-American History
Agriculture
Invention
Science
Architecture
Landscape
Sculpture
Art
Architecture
Social/Human-
Commerce
Literature
itarion
Communications
Military
Theorer
Conservation
Music
11
Transportation
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Harriet Tubman spent almost one-third of her long life in slavery. She emerged
from it with a tough, resilient character whose deep reservoir of faith in God and in
her own remarkable abilities led to a life-long active concem for the welfare of
others. Not content merely to survive, she used slavery as a springboard for assert-
ing her own humanity and that of black people as a whole.
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, over
the underground railroad to Philadelphia in 1849. The time was propitious. The
next year, a new Federal Fugitive Slave Law was passed, designed to make it easier
for slaveholders to recover runaways. Three months later, in December 1850, Harriet
made the first of her nineteen forays into Maryland in the pre-war decade to bring
SCE
out slaves via the underground railroad. All told, she guided 300 persons, including
brothers, sisters, and her aged parents, to freedom as far north as Canada. At one
point, rewards for her capture totalled $40,000.
In between trips South, she led the resoue of the fugitive slave, Charles Nalle,
in Troy, New York, in 1859. She was lionized by the New England reformers and
intellectuals. She was privy to the plans of John Brown. Both believed themselves
instruments of God's will, and both preferred action to words in the war against
slavery. During the Civil War, she employed the skills of the successful underground
railroad conductor as scout, spy, and nurse in South Carolina and Virginia. She was
already an American folk hero.
After the war, she returned to Auburn, there to continue her humanitarian
labors. Herself illiterate, she raised money for black schools in the South. She
was also active in the women's rights movement and in the African Methodist Epis-
copal Zion Church. Having for years succored the needy in her home, in 1908
she realized her dream of establishing a home for the Negro aged and destitute on
property she had purchased at auction and deeded to the A. M.E.Z. Church. She
died there in 1913, aged 93.
/
TEL:
Jun 16,98 16:50 No. 024 P.03
Form 10-300a
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
STATE
(July 1969)
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
New York
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
COUNTY
INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM
Cayuga
FOR NPS USE ONLY
ENTRY NUMBER
DATE
(Continuation Shoot)
(Number all entries)
8. SIGNIFICANCE (cont'd.)
The significance of Harriet Tubman lies in her character and in her deeds. Together
they symbolize the quest for human dignity that has been so basic to the national self-
image. Like the westward-moving pioneers, with who she shared so much in common,
Harriet Tubman and her fellow runaways went North in search of a better life. As in the
case of those other frontiersmen, her work on the underground railroad and during the war
was the very stuff of romance and adventure, made all the more dramatic by its uniform
success. In one significant respect, however, she went beyond them: they did not have
anyone pursuing them backed by the law. In the face of mounting danger, she made the
northward trek nineteen times! Her courage and selflessness have made her a folk hero.
They inspired awe and respect for her among reformers of her era as they endeared her to
later generations. Few by their deeds better symbolize the struggle against slavery, the
freedom movement of that day.
Her life was not alone a tale of adventure. It was also a story of moral rise and
success in the conventional mold of Horatio Alger. Slavery had molded her great char-
acter, but she had transcended slavery. She came "up from slavery" to gain international
fame as a universal reformer. Such recognition she won despite her blackness, sex, and
illiteracy! To women's rightists she was the symbol of what the liberated woman could do.
To black people she symbolized the strength, patience, and faith of the generations of
unsung black women who in their less dramatic but equally dedicated way triumphed over
the obstacles of color and sex. Harriet Tubman spoke for them -- indeed for all the
powerless -- by her deeds and in her insistence that she be dealt with as a moral individ-
val. The freedom and dignified treatment she insisted on as her due she insisted should
be extended to others less fortunate. Most revealing are the words most often used to
characterize her: courageous, resolute, practical, God-trusting, and philanthropic,
In short, what Harriet Tubman has come to symbolize are those qualities Americans have
always attributed to themselves as a people when they see themselves at their finest.
Her character and deeds and their symbolic value should be commemorated at these sites.
9, MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (cont'd.)
Pauli, Hertha E. Her Name Was Sojourner Truth, New York: 1962.
Siebert, Wilbur H. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. New York: 1899.
Still, William. The Underground Railroad. Philadelphia: 1871.
(PARTIAL LISTING)
БРО 971-774
IEL:
JUII
7 DESCRIPTION
(Check One)
Excellent
Good
Fair
Deteriorated
Ruins
Unexposed
CONDITION
(Check One)
(Check One)
Altered
Unaltered
Moved
Original Site
DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (If known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
With the aid of Senator William H. Seward, Harriet Tubman acquired the prop-
erty on which her museum now stands in the late 1850s. Now owned by the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the museum is on twenty-four acres of land. The
present building which stands on the site of the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged
dates from C. 1947 when the Home for the Aged was rehabilitated. It is a two and
one-half story, rectangular frame building with shingled, gabled roof. Chimneys
stand at either end of the house. Double hung, vertically sliding, sash windows are
positioned throughout the house. A covered porch with lean-to roof supported by nine
square pillars extends along two adjoining sides of the house -- the west and south
elevations. The house rests upon a raised foundation.
5.
TEL:
Jun 16,98 10:50 NO. 024 r.us
9 MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
Bradford, Sarah Elizabeth. Harriet, the Moses of her people. Now York: Little and
company, 1901.
Conrad, Earl. Harriet Tubman. Washington: The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1943.
(Documentation: PP. 227-238)
Conrad, Earl. Harriet Tubman, Negro soldier and abolitionist. New York: International
Publishers, 1942.
10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES
DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY
o
DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PHOPERTY
R
OF LESS THAN TEN ACREE
CORNER
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE
Degrees Minutes Seconds
Degrees Minutes Seconds
Degrees Minutes Seconds
Degrees Minutes Seconds
NW
.
a
,
-
42° 54 40 '
76° 34 ' 4 -
NE
-
o
#
SE
o
!
o
.
.
SW
9
,
.
.
,
APPROXIMATE ACREADE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 5 acres
LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES
STATE:
CODE
COUNTY
CODE
STATE:
CODE
COUNTY:
CODE
STATE:
CODE
COUNTY:
CODE
STATE:
CODE
COUNTY:
CODE
FORM PREPARED BY
SEE T R U T
NAME AND TITLE:
Marcia M. Greenlee
ORGANIZATION
DATE
The Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation
STREET AND NUMBER:
july 1973
1420 N Street, N. W., Suite 101
CITY OR TOWN)
STATE
CODE
Washington, D. C.
12 STATE LAISON OFFICER CERTIFICATION
NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION
As the designated State Liuison Officer for the Na-
I hereby certify that this property is included In the
tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law
89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion
National Register.
in the National Register and certify that it has been
avaluated according to the c-iteria and procedures set
forth by the National Park Service. The recommended
Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation
levol of significance of this nomination is:
National
State
Local
14.11
Dute
Name
ATTEST:
Title
Keeper of The National Register
Date
Date
61
GPO 931.894
Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, Auburn, NY
The Underground Railroad in New York
http://www.nyhistory.com/ugr/
SH
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
IN NEW YORK STATE
Geography and politics conspired to make New York State a key link in the Underground Railroad.
Though often romanticized, particularly concerning the role of Caucasians in its operation, there is no
doubt that many fugitives from slavery followed the Underground Railroad on their way to freedom in
Canada, or to destinations in safe proximity to the Canadian border. The purpose of this website is to
catalogue information on the People and Places of New York that were involved in the activities of the
Underground Railroad, and to provide reliable information about their role in African Americans'
struggle for freedom.
The information presented on this site is in table form. Click below to pick a starting point for
exploration:
Why This Site Was Created
Map of Routes in NYS
People
Places
Sources
Related Links
NYS Underground Railroad Freedom Trail Act
The information on the UGRR NYS site is in the public domain.
Graphics on the UGRR NYS site are Copyright © 1997 NY History Net, and may be used with permission.
Check with owners for copyright information on linked sites.
New York
History Net
Powered by CHOCOLATE!
6/18
Sarah -FYI.
I'll pull info. out
of them for the master
Background Page.
Lisa
1 of 1
06/18/98 10:57:59
The Underground Railroad in New York - Reason for This Website
http://www.nyhistory.com/ugr/why.htm
Why This Site Was Created
The history of the Underground Railroad, as it is now known, was significantly shaped by the work of
Wilbur Siebert, whose 1898 book of the same name has been frequently cited as the defining work on
the subject. Though frank in assessing the reliability of his sources, Siebert also lionized the mostly
Caucasian abolitionists whose recollections were major sources for his work. Siebert did make use of
material published by and about African Americans, and corresponded directly with Frederick Douglass,
among many others. Nonetheless, his work clearly reflects the limitations of his sources and his personal
viewpoint. In part because of the sources used, and in part because much of the story telling has been
done by European Americans, tales of the Underground Railroad often have the same "White Heroes of
the Black Revolution" quality that is common in contemporary filmmaking.
There is no doubt that many European Americans played a significant role in bringing an end to slavery
in America, and in aiding its victims. Their stories deserve to be told, side by side, and in context with
those of the African Americans who liberated themselves, and others from slavery. There are two
reasons to believe that future histories of the Underground Railroad may achieve greater balance in this
regard than has been previously achieved: better sources, and better scholarship.
Toward a Better History
Sources are getting better. What was destroyed before Siebert's time cannot be undestroyed. However,
many primary source materials that were still in private hands in 1898 are now available for study, or
may yet be. As examples, the massive collection of Gerrit Smith's papers was not placed in the care of
Syracuse University until 1928. Siebert was therefore able to reference only the results of Frothingham's
biography of Smith. The papers of Frederick Douglass, who was alive during most of Siebert's period of
research, are only now being published for widespread use. Other primary sources are yet to be made
available. For example, diaries of James Caleb Jackson, going back to the 1830s, are still in the hands of
descendants, and not yet available for study.
Scholarship is getting better. The biases of a sympathetic historian like Siebert may be less offensive
than those evidenced in many books on the abolitionists (such as Harlow's biography of Gerrit Smith),
but they still reflect a distinctly Caucasian-centered view. More recent works, such as Hunter's book on
Jermain Wesley Loguen, have given focus to the central role of African Americans in the organized
operations of the Underground Railroad, and in the larger struggle for freedom in America. With the
trend toward more balanced analysis, the quality of the history telling appears to be improving.
The Role of New York and New Yorkers
As one enters into learning about the Underground Railroad and the struggle against slavery, it is
striking that New York State's role in the UGRR is not more widely known. The under-telling of New
York's story may be due, in part, to the fact that Siebert lived in Ohio and Massachusetts, and that many
more prominent white abolitionists lived there, and in Philadelphia, where William Still worked. It may
be in part because the backbone of the UGRR in New York, more so than elsewhere, was so
significantly in the hands of African American leaders, whose efforts were given less attention in
post-Civil War story telling. It may be in part because the major academic and public libraries in the
state are in New York City, while UGRR activity was spread across the state. For whatever reason, it
appears that the full story of the UGRR in NYS has yet to be told.
Goals for This Site
The purpose of this site is not to tell the complete story of the UGRR in NYS. It is intended primarily to
serve as a repository for persons who wish to explore, or share available information. Wherever possible,
sources of information placed on this site will be identified. Persons with information, documents,
photographic images or research papers that may be legally digitized and posted on this site are invited
to contact the site editor.
1 of 2
06/18/98 11:30:43
The Underground Railroad in New York - Related Links
http://www.nyhistory.com/ugrr/map.htm
Map of UGRR Routes in NYS
pusts POINT
DGDENSBURG
KMI - Well
EINGSTON
ACTION
EAPI
SILA
ENVINCENT
RESIPORT
AITHOWN
torouto
OUTLAND
PORT ONTAINS
OLWIGD
DICKFORE
st CATHERINE
EXCHENGE
Prica
UNAIO
CENTER
AUSURA
PUBLICAD
NNNINGION
a
WABSAW
Alsor
DUNETER
MINACA
WISHING
JAMESTOWN
ILLUEA
NATIFORD
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
NEW YORK
ROUTES OF FUGITIVE SLAVES
10 CANADA
KNOWN BOUTES
RECEASE ROUTES
NEW YORK
t First History of (ine Siller nl Now York, addred by A.C. Flus
Taken from History of the State of New York, edited by A.C. Flick.
New York
History Net
1 of 1
06/18/98 11:24:22
The New York State Underground Railroad Freedom Trail Act
http://www.nyhistory.com/ugr/ugrfta.htm
NYS Underground Railroad Freedom Trail Act
New York has become the first state in the nation to pass its own UGRR Freedom Trail Act, designed to
support the proposed National Park Service Underground Railroad Project. The bill was ceremonially
signed into law by Governor George Pataki on October 30, 1997 at the Michigan Avenue Baptist
Church, the most significant UGRR site in Buffalo. The bill was sponsored by Deputy Assembly
Speaker Arthur O. Eve of Buffalo, and Senator Dale Volker of Depew.
Persons wishing to contribute information to this page are invited to contact the site editor.
The information on the UGRR NYS site is in the public domain.
Graphics on the UGRR NYS site are Copyright © 1997 NY History Net, and may be used with permission.
Check with owners for copyright information on linked sites.
New York
History Net
1 of 1
06/18/98 11:43:21
New York State Assembly - Viewing Bill A08458 Info
http://assembly.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/showbill?bilhum=A08458
New York State Bill A08458
All available information for bill A08458, except its text, is supplied in this document. You may jump to
a particular item by selecting from the menu below, or you may simply scroll down through this
document. To view the bill text, select the last item from the menu below.
[ Summary ] [ Actions ][ Votes ] [ Memo ] [ Text ]
Summary of Bill A08458
BILL NO
A08458B
SPONSOR RULES COM Eve
COSPNSR
Silver, Tokasz, Farrell, Gantt, Hoyt, Keane, Pillittere, Vann,
Reynolds, Aubry, Clark, Perry, Smith, Bea, Boyland, Cook, Davis,
Griffith, Hill, Meeks, Norman, Ortiz, Pretlow, Scarborough,
Schimminger, Towns, Anderson, Wirth, Englebright
MLTSPNSR
Add SS233-b & 233-c, amd S801, Ed L; amd S19.03, Pks & Rec L
Provides for preservation, education, and commemoration in connection with the
national freedom trail and underground railroad; creates the New York state
freedom trail commission; provides for duties in connection therewith to be
performed by such commission, the department of education, state archives,
office of state history, state museum, and the office of parks, recreation, and
historic preservation; enacts the "New York state freedom trail program act"
Actions on Bill A08458
BILL NO A08458B
06/26/1997referred to tourism, arts and sports development
07/30/1997amend (t) and recommit to tourism, arts and sports development
07/30/1997print number 8458a
07/30/1997amend and recommit to tourism, arts and sports development
07/30/1997print number 8458b
08/02/1997reported referred to rules
08/03/1997rules report cal. 1134
08/03/1997ordered to third reading rules cal. 1134
08/03/1997passed assembly
08/03/1997delivered to senate
08/03/1997REFERRED TO RULES
08/03/1997SUBSTITUTED FOR S5642A
08/03/19973RD READING CAL.1590
08/03/1997PASSED SENATE
08/03/1997RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
08/29/1997delivered to governor
09/10/1997approval memo. 66
09/10/1997signed chap. 574
Votes on Bill A08458
BILL: A08458B DATE: 08/03/1997 MOTION:
YEA/NAY: 146/000
Abbate Y Carrozz Y Eve
Y Hill
Y Mayerso Y Polonet Y Tedisco Y
1 of 3
06/18/98 11:46:11
New York State Assembly - Viewing Bill A08458 Info
http://assembly.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/showbill?billnumA08458
Acampor
Y
Casale
Y
Farrell Y
Hochber Y
Mazzare Y
Prentis
Y
Thiele
Y
Alfano
Y
Christe
Y
Faso
Y
Hoyt
Y
McEneny Y
Pretlow Y
Tocci
Y
Anderso
Y
Clark
Y
Feldman
Y
Jacobs
Y
McGee
Y
Ramirez Y
Tokasz
Y
Arroyo
Y
Colman
Y
Ferrara Y
John
Y
McLaugh
Y
Ravitz
Y
Tonko
Y
Aubry
Y
Colton
Y
Fessend
Y
Johnson
Y
Meeks
Y
Reynold
Y
Towns
Y
Bacalle
Y
Connell Y
Flanaga
Y
Katz
Y
Miller
Y
Rivera
Y
Townsen
Y
Balboni
Y
Conte
Y
Galef
Y
Kaufman Y
Millman
Y
Robach
Y
Vann
Y
Barraga
Y
Cook
Y
Gantt
Y
Keane
Y
Morelle
Y
Sanders
Y
Vitalia
Y
Bea
Y
Crouch
Y
Genoves
Y
Kirwan
Y
Nesbitt
Y
Scarbor Y
Warner
Y
Becker
Y
Crowley
Y
Glick
Y
Klein
Y
Nolan
Y
Schimmi Y
Weinste
Y
Bonacic
Y
D'Andre
Y
Gottfri Y
Koon
Y
Norman
Y
Seaman
Y
Weisenb Y
Boyland
Y
Davis
Y
Grannis Y
Labriol
Y
Nortz
Y
Seminer Y
Weprin
Y
Boyle
Y
Denis
Y
Green
Y
Lafayet
Y
Oaks
Y
Sidikma Y
Wertz
Y
Bragman
Y
Destito
Y
Greene
ER
Lentol
Y
O'Neil
Y
Smith
Y
Winner
Y
Brennan
Y
Diaz
Y
Griffit Y
Little
Y
Ortiz
Y
Spano
Y
Wirth
Y
Brodsky
ER
DiNapol
Y
Gromack
Y
Lopez
Y
Ortloff
ER
Stephen
Y
Wright
Y
Brown
Y
Dinga
Y
Guerin
Y
Luster
Y
O'Shea
Y
Stranie
Y
Mr Spkr Y
Butl DJ Y
Dinowit Y
Gunther
Y
Magee
Y
Parment
Y
Stringe Y
Butl MW Y
Doran
Y
Harenbe
Y
Mahoney
Y
Perry
Y
Sull EC Y
Calhoun Y
Englebr Y
Herbst
Y
Manning Y
Pheffer
Y
Sull
F
Y
Canestr Y
Espaill
Y
Hikind
ER Matusow Y
Pillitt
Y
Sweeney
Y
Memo on Bill A08458
BILL NUMBER: A8458B
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill establishes the New York State Freedom Trail program to
preserve, educate and commemorate the national freedom trail and the
underground railroad.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 - Establishes the New York State freedom trail program.
Section 2 - Legislative findings and intent.
Section 3 - Amends the education law by adding section 233-b
which establishes the New York State freedom trail
commission and sets forth the responsibilities of
the commission.
Amends the education law by adding section 233-c
which directs the commissioner of the State
Education Department to conduct a study which
would assist the Freedom Trail Commission in
developing a plan.
Section 4 - Amends subdivision 1 and 3 of S 801 of the education
law to require the regents to include the freedom
trail and underground railroad in its prescribed
courses of instruction to be maintained and followed
in all schools within New York State.
Section 5 - Amends S 19.03 of the parks, recreation and historic
preservation law by adding subdivision 4 which
requires the commissioner to cooperate with the
education department and the New York State freedom
trail commission.
JUSTIFICATION:
BACKGROUND
2 of 3
06/18/98 11:46:23
New York State Assembly - Viewing Bill A08458 Info
http://assembly.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/showbill?bilnum=A08458
On May 15, 1997, Congressmen Louis Stokes (D-Ohio) and Rob Portman
(R-Ohio) introduced HR 1635- The National Underground Railroad Network
to Freedom Act of 1997. The congressional proposal would authorize the
National Parks Department to coordinate and facilitate federal and
non-federal activities that would honor and help people learn more about
the Underground Railroad. In the Senate the bill is sponsored by
Senators Carol Moseley-Braun (D-III) and Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). The bill
enjoys exceptional bipartisan support in both houses. The sponsors
expect the proposal to pass this session. The establishment of the New
York State Freedom Trail, this session, will put New York in an
excellent position to participate in the development of the national
networks.
New York State has many nationally recognized Underground Railroad
sites. There are sites in almost every municipality within the state.
Sites range from hotels and homes to businesses and places of worship.
Historically, New York was either a final stop or a temporary resting
site on the road to Canada. New York was a refuge for thousands of
courageous escaping slaves who were helped along the way by a network of
brave men and women. New Yorkers of every creed and ethnic background,
from all walks of life, rallied to the anti-slavery cause and formed a
powerful network which sustained the growing movement decade after
decade.
New York State was the home of Frederick Douglass, abolitionist
governors such as William Seward, and underground railroad conductors
such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.
The underground railroad-was a success due to the uncommon trust and
cooperation between the conductors and the conductees. Without the
establishment of a historical program, New York's documented and
undocumented underground railroad sites are in danger of being lost or
forgotten, along with the names of those who were the heroes and
heroines.
Canada has undertaken a number of projects to commemorate the role its
citizens played in the success of the underground railroad. Just last
year the Niagara Region Tourist Council produced a guidebook and an
African American Heritage Tour. It is time for New York to officially
document and recognize the sacrifices and contributions of those who
sought freedom here and those who helped them reach the promise of
freedom.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT:
Minimal
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
Bill A08458
[
Summary
]
[
Actions
]
[
Votes
]
[
Memo
]
[
Text
]
New York State Assembly
[ Welcome Page ] [ Legislative Information ] [ Bill Searches ]
3 of 3
06/18/98 11:46:38
List of Sites for the Underground Railroad Travel Itinerary
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/underground/states.htm
Aboard the
Underground Railroad
List of Sites
IOWA
1
1. George B. Hitchcock House--Lewis vicinity
2
ILLINOIS
2. Owen Lovejoy House--Princeton
INDIANA
3
4
3. Bethel AME Zion Church--Indianapolis
4. Levi Coffin House--Fountain City
5
5. Eleutherian College Classroom and Chapel
Building--Lancaster
1 of 3
04/29/98 17:27:46
List of Sites for the Underground Railroad Travel Itinerary
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/underground/states.htm
9
OHIO
6. John P. Parker House--Ripley
7. John Rankin House--Ripley
8
8. Village of Mt. Pleasant Historic District--Mt.
Pleasant
6
7
9. Wilson Bruce Evans House--Oberlin
PENNSYLVANIA
10. F. Julius LeMoyne House--Washington
11. Bethel AME Zion Church--Reading
11
12. Oakdale--Chadds Ford
13
10
12
14
13. White Horse Farm--Phoenixville
14. Johnson House--Philadelphia
NEW YORK
15
17
15. Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged--Auburn
16
16. St. James AME Zion Church--Ithaca
17. Gerrit Smith Estate and Land Office--Peterboro
18. Foster Memorial AME Zion
18
Church--Tarrytown
19
VERMONT
19. Rokeby--Ferrisburgh
20
MASSACHUSETTS
20. African American National Historic
Site--Boston
2 of 3
04/29/98 17:27:54
List of Sites for the Underground Railroad Travel Itinerary
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/underground/states.htm
21
DELAWARE
21. Appoquinimink Friends Meeting
House--Odessa
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
22
22. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
23
FLORIDA
23. Ft. Mose Site--St. John's County
U.S. Map I Home
Slave Trade
Early Antislavery
Operating the UGRR
Civil War
Comments or Questions
Monday, 06-Apr-98 14:12:31EST
ParkNet
National Park Service
3 of 3
04/29/98 17:28:07
Aboard the Underground Railroad-- Foster Memorial AME Zion Church
http://www.cr.nps.gov/crweb1/nr/underground/u17.htm
Aboard the
Underground Railroad
Pere Dr. James G. Flowers
9146312002
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church
(914 686 6392) passanage
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church was
18
founded in 1860 by Amanda and Henry
Foster, Rev. Jacob Thomas, and Hiram
Jimerson. Amanda Foster, considered the "Mother
of the Church," was the driving force in the
formation of the congregation whose first meetings
were held in her confectionery store. Born in New
York in 1806, Amanda, in possession of her "free
papers," obtained employment as a nurse to
Arkansas Governor Conway. While in Arkansas,
she contributed to the Underground Railroad
movement by using her "free papers" to help a
young fugitive slave girl escape. She moved back to
New York in 1837 and established her business in
Tarrytown where she met and married Henry Foster
around 1845. In 1865, after five years of the
congregation meeting in the Foster confectionary
store and other business establishments,
construction of the church began with funds
donated primarily by the local Dutch Reformed and
Foster Memorial AME Zion Church
Methodist congregations. During the Civil War,
Photograph by Wes Haynes. Courtesy of New York
Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
members of Foster AME helped to provide food
and shelter to fugitive slaves escaping to Canada, and also provided assistance to those
fugitive slaves who decided to settle in Tarrytown. Like most AME churches, Foster AME is
a religious and social crossroads for the black community, providing a meeting place for
worship and a place for public interaction.
Foster AME Zion Church is located in Tarrytown, New York at 90 Wildey Street. It is open to
the public.
Previous
I
List of Sites
I
Home
I
Next
Slave Trade
Early Antislavery
Operating the UGRR
Civil War
Comments or Questions
Last Modified: Monday, 06-Apr-98 12:26:28EST
ParkNet
National Park Service
1 of 1
4/28/98 6:18 PM
Harnet Tubman
Experts
Through National Park Service
Jim & Lois Horton
This date on their calendars - Wed., July 15
FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM C LINTON
WILLIAM SEWARD HOUSE
AUBURN, NEW YORK
JULY 15, 1998
I want to thank all of you in the Thompson Memorial Youth Group for that wonderful
performance. Clearly the life of Harriet Tubman is very real to you -- And one of the reasons that
I'm here -- is to bring more attention to the life and accomplishments of this remarkable woman,
and to make sure that these few tangible links to her life are preserved. I want every American to
learn her story -- as all of you have done. So that parents can pass it down to their children -- so
that they can hand it down to their children -- as your parents and teachers have done for you.
It's an incredible story about her courage; tabout her. But her story it's also the story of this
country -- as we continue to struggle to lift up our citizens, and come together -- as people from
every nation and background -- to form one America. To fulfill the promise of freedom and
equality that
She died 85 years ago;
Given the trasnforming role that Harriett has played in the life of this country -- it's sad
that except for this last home -- so few documented, tangible links to harriet tubman exist.
You know, as I have travelled to these historic sites over the past few days -- and seen the
places -- and touched the Of the I've felt so strongly how we are all tied to this heritage --
and are all participants in its continuing unfolding. Sometimes -- those links are
(A woman who was preparing for this trip walked into this Home a few days ago -- to find a
picture of her uncle's family hanging on the wall. A picture she had seen in her own home for
many years. She discovered that in fact members of her family had been the caretakers here.
And that is what we all need to be: caretakers of this rich legacy that is our history -- and
She bore the physical scars of slavery -- an overseer threw a rock at her head -- permanently
damaging her skull; but
she refused to give up her dream of freedom; guided them to safety;
Treacherous trip: through forest, hills, reivers, creeks; always in danger; (on one occasion -- she
and her fugitives had to board a soutbound train to avoid suspicion; her humor: one terrified
slave would not look out the window of the train until she reched free soil in Canada. Tubman,
exasperated; cried out: "you might at least have looked at Niagrara Falls on the way to freedom!"
just came from the home of William Seward -- President Lincoln's Sect of State -- instrumental
in Emancipation proclamation; firend of harriet tubman; and a participant in hiding of slaves on
their way to freedom;
"I had reasoned this out in my mind. There was one of two things things I had a right to, liberty
or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other." Underground railroad -- drew the
paths of freedom for fugitive slaves across New York; Indiana; Illinois; Ohio; Pennsylvania;
Vermont; Massachusetts; DC; Delaware -- as far as florida; she could not read the sign;s but she
could read nature; the position of the stars; the moss on the north sie of the treet -- to point her in
the right direction;
tough; resilient; deeply religious; deep reservoir of faith in god and her own resilience; led to
lifelong concern for welfare of others; humanitarian causes: represented the strength; paitence
and faith of unsung balck women; dedicated way triuphed over the obstacles of color and sex;
Harriet Tubman spoke for them; -- indeed all powerless; and we must continue to speak for her.
Freedom and dignified treatment she insisted was her due she insisted should be extended to
others less fortunate;
courageous champion of freedom; after war, began to take in orphans and old people; elderly
african amercans not accepted at the home for the elderly in auburn; that eventually led to the
establishment of the harriet tubman home for the aged;
courage; determination; steadfastness; hope; freedeom; tenacity;
19 trips; rescuing 300 slaves; from the "jaws of hell." Traveled in the cheerless olitude of night;
no protectione xcept her cunning; no guide but the north star; the moses of her pe ople; bold,
daring; elusive;
not content to survive slavery -- she used slavery as springboard to assert her own humanity; and
the humanity of her peop le; herself illiterate; she raised money for black schools in the south;
herself childless -- she cared for the plight of newly freed black children and raised money for
their clothing; -- active in women's right movement and in African American methodist
episcoapal Zion church; 1908; realized her dream of establishing home for negro aged and poor
on her pr operty; died 1913 -- 50th anniversary of emancipation proclamation;
the significance of her life is in her deeds -- is her character -- and what it tells us about the
possibilities of the American dream. Courage and selflessness;
we all have ties to her life; (tell story of a woman who was working on this tour; walked into the
Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged; saw a picture of one of her relatives; -- which she had sseen
hanging in her parents home for years -- was hanging there. The had been the caretakes of thast
house -- image of how we are all connected to this history of freedom;
her house: supported by nine pillars; she was the pillar;
these qualities are commemorated in her sites; but more importantly, the are imprintied indelibly
in this nation's memory; forever transormed by her power and humility; we must preserve the
sites and artifacts that tell her story; -- but more importantly, we must preserve her spirit; and
live her
live her every day, as together, we continue to create a more perfect union.
Her motto was Keep going. As she let slaves toward freedom: she would say: "Children; if you
are tired; keep going; if you are scared; keep going; if you are hungry; keep going; if you want to
taste freedom; keep going." I can't think of a better message to spread as we prepare to meet the
challenges of a new century -- and a new millennium. Her spirit -- like the north star -- will
guide us.
William H. Seward
1801-1872
"Although in this journey
I have traversed no small
Steble
portions of four continents-
Waterlook
20
it is not until now, that I
Rts.
have found the place which.
above all others, I admire
SENECA
+
Rts.
Street
the most and love the best.
North Street
Dill
This one point on the
globe draws me back by an
Enjoy guided tours
Street
Genesee
irresistible spell
Photograph by
and pleasant summer
- William H. Seward. Speech Upon Returning
Home in Auburn from Europe. December 31. 1856
garden strolls
South Street
Lincoln Street
Mathew Brady. 1863
William
Grover Street
William Henry Seward was a celebrated statesman, Secretary of
State, United States Senator, New York Governor, and abolitionist.
The Seward House
In 1819, on a teaching sojourn in the South, the indignity of slavery
33 South Street
first made an impression on Seward later influencing him to become
Auburn, New York 13021
one of the most outspoken anti-slavery politicians of his time.
(315) 252-1283
Seward moved to Auburn, New York in 1823 to work for Judge
Elijah Miller, soon-marrying the Judge's youngest daughter, Frances,
and moved into the Judge's home, which is now the Seward House.
The Sewards had five children.
Devout abolitionists, Seward and his wife were friends of Harriet
Tubman. Frances Seward helped Harriet Tubman and the under-
ground railroad by hiding slaves in the Seward house. After the Civil
War, William H. Seward convinced Tubman to leave Canada and
make her home in Auburn as an American heroine.
Seward was elected to the New York State Senate in 1830 where he
served four years. In 1838, Seward won the race for Governor of
New York and served two terms. In 1849, he was elected to the
HOURS
Tuesdays-Saturdays 1:00-4:00 PM
United States Senate. As a senator in Washington, D.C., Seward
April through December
emerged as one of the leaders in the newly formed Republican Party.
Closed major holidays
Seward sought but never attained the highest office in the land.
Admission charged
Although a front-runner in the 1860 presidential primary, the party
Call for group appointments
ultimately supported Abraham Lincoln. In 1860, Lincoln appoint-
ed Seward Secretary of State. The night President Lincoln was shor
in 1865, Seward was critically injured when conspirators also visited
ANN U.A.L EV ENTS
his Washington residence.
Holiday Open House in December
In 1867, Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. At
Garden Party-in:July
the time, skeptics called it "Seward's Folly" yet it has since proved
one of the United States's best investments. In 1870, Seward left
Auburn to tour the world bringing home many rare artifacts now on
ABOUT THE COVER: Main staircase in Seward House. The wood is a gift from
the Society of California Pioneers, (Gold Rush '49ers), as a thank you for Senator
view at the Seward House. He died in the office of his Auburn home
Seward's help to bring California into the Union as a free state. The darker wood of
nam п. Seward
1872
n this journey
rsed no small
AUBURN
back
four continents-
il now, that I
Rts. 20
the place which.
hers. I admire
SENECA
RUS
Street
North Street
Street
d love the best.
Dill
point on the
me back by an
Enjoy guided tours
Genesee Street
pell
Photograph by
and pleasant summer
Seward. Speech Upon Returning
Mathew Brady. 1863
durn from Europe. December 31. 1856
garden strolls
South Street
Lincoln Street
William
Grover Street
iry Seward was a celebrated statesman, Secretary of
States Senator, New York Governor, and abolitionist.
The Seward House
teaching sojourn in the South, the indignity of slavery
33 South Street
impression on Seward later influencing him to become
Auburn, New York 13021
)st outspoken anti-slavery politicians of his time.
(315) 252-1283
di to Auburn, New York in 1823 to work for Judge
soon marrying the Judge's youngest daughter, Frances,
ito the Judge's home, which is now the Seward House.
had five children.
tionists, Seward and his wife were friends of Harriet
ances Seward helped Harriet Tubman and the under-
id by hiding slaves in the Seward house. After the Civil
1 H. Seward convinced Tubman to leave Canada and
ne in Auburn as an American heroine.
lected to the New York State Senate in 1830 where he
ears. In 1838, Seward won the race for Governor of
d served two terms. In 1849, he was elected to the
HOURS
Tuesdays-Saturdays 1:00-4:00 PM
Senate. As a senator in Washington, D.C., Seward
April through December
ie of the leaders in the newly formed Republican Party.
Closed major holidays
it but never attained the highest office in the land.
Admission charged
ont-runner in the 1860 presidential primary, the party
Call for group appointments
ported Abraham Lincoln. In 1860, Lincoln appoint-
cretary of State. The night President Lincoln was shot
ud was critically injured when conspirators also visited
ANNU AL-E VENTS
on residence.
Holiday Open-I House in December
ard negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. At
Garden inJuly
stics called it "Seward's Folly" yet it has since proved
nited States's best investments. In 1870, Seward left
it the world bringing home many rare artifacts now on
ABOUT THE COVER: Main staircase in Seward House. The wood is a gift from
ward House. He died in the office of his Auburn home
the Society of California Pioneers, (Gold Rush '49ers). as a thank you for Senator
Seward's help to bring California into the Union as a free state. The darker wood of
0, 1872 at the age of 71.
the staircase is manzanita. the lighter wood is laurel.
Tour the 17 public rooms of the
20000
"There was scarcely a
One of the most heartwarming displays ir
Seward House, each arranged
five-minute period
Seward House is a collection of toys-in th.
and preserved as if Seward and
when callers were not
upstairs nursery, which dates from 1810 t.
his family were about to return
at the house."
1885. A tiny pewter tea
and host one of their famous
set, French marionettes,
- Frederick Seward,
dinner gatherings. Distinguished
and a special paper theater
W.H. Seward's son
statesmen such as Henry Clay,
(The Mignon Theater) with
Daniel Webster, General Ulysses
paper characters which
S. Grant, General George Custer,
Walking through William H. Seward's front door
belonged to Seward's
Presidents John Quincy Adams, Martin Van
is like stepping back in time to experience life as
youngest child, Fanny, are
Buren, Andrew Johnson and William McKinley
Seward and his family did in the mid 1800s.
just a few of the
have all walked these halls. Discover the works of
Unlike other historic homes which often integrate
delightful and rare
renowned artists such as Henry Inman, Thomas
period artifacts from other places, the Seward
19th-century playthings.
Cole, Chester
House has a virtually intact collection of original
Harding, and
items used by the Seward Family. The house was
Emanuel Leutze
built in 1816 and 1817 by Seward's father-in-law,
I found a most beautiful little TH
in the Seward
Judge Elijah Miller.
of paper, I knew at once that it was fr.
family's fine art
dearest mother."
collection.
The Seward House has an impressive collection
of souvenirs from Seward's extensive
- Frances "Fanny" Seward, Christm
career and travels. Among
the items are: a gold ring
William H. Seward love
made from the last spike
read, write letters, and C(
driven in the Pacific
books. His house has 01
Railroad, a Bidarki (skin
most extensive Civil Wai
boat) from the Aleutian
"A typical dinner lasted
in the nation. Many of
Islands, portraits of
from six until ten and had
books are autographed b
world leaders, Tlingit
11 courses. The table was
authors. His book colle
wooden armor from Alaska,
brilliant with silver, crystal
includes two original edi
and an extremely rare desk
of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
goblets, and imported china
Seward's personal
that was used during the first
decorated in blue and gold."
globe from his
Washington, D.C.
Constitutional Congress in
"I cannot exist without books."
- Frederick Seward
residence. 1865
New York City in 1789.
- William H. Seward
Becomes one of
Works with Harriet
Bidarki from Alaska,
the leading
Tubman in Auburn
1868
Republicans after
by housing slaves
the Whig Party
traveling to freedom
Elected Governor of
merged into the
the under
New York State
Republican Party
ground railroad
(served two terms)
1824
1830
1838
1849
1855
1857+
1860
1861-1869
1865
1867
Elected
Loses presidential
Serves as Secretary
Seriously
Negotiates the
United States
State
Shannon
a
religious
Bishopstoke, England. He came to Boston in 1661, married
30), and studied at the National Academy of Design (1922).
Md.,
as
the
the daughter of a wealthy shipowner. served as a superior
After study in Europe (1925-27). he became an activist
founded
court justice, and became the colony's chief justice in 1718.
painter in New York. A sequence of 23 gouaches based on
renowned
In 1697, he confessed his error in having been partly
the Sacco-Vanzetti case (1931-32) that ended in the execu-
the
first
responsible for sending people to the gallows during the
tion of two political anarchists, and his series on the trial of
Salem witch trials (1692). He wrote one of the first
labor leader Tom Mooney (1933), established his reputation.
writer,
antislavery tracts and left a diary (1674-77; 1685-1729) that
His style was semiabstract and boldly colored, and his
2th
of
14
remains an incomparable record of the life, mentality, and
posters for activist causes reflect his paintings. As a
in
1866
world of a Puritan of his era.
photographer he recorded the lives of farm workers for the
art,
Seward, William H. (Henry) (1801-72) public official, cabinet
Farm Security Administration (1935-38).
and
officer; born in Florida, N.Y. A lawyer, he joined the new
Shalaia, Donna (Edna) (1941- ) political scientist, educa-
critics
Whig Party and served as governor of New York (1839-43)
tor, cabinet officer; born in Cleveland, Ohio. Of Lebanese
narrative
and as U.S. senator (N.Y.; 1849-61). Becoming increasingly
descent, she took her B.A. from Western College for
and
of
more liberal, he moved to the new Republican Party for his
Women (Oxford, Ohio) (1962) and then spent two years with
founder
of
second term as senator and came to embody Northern
the Peace Corps in Iran. She then earned her M.A. and
scout
antislavery sentiment: he caused a controversy with his claim
Ph.D. (1970) from Syracuse; while there she participated in
toosevelt's
(1850) that slavery should be excluded from new states by a
programs that taught foreign students and Peace Corps staff.
years
in
a
"higher law than the Constitution." Disappointed in his
She taught at Bernard Baruch College (N.Y.C.) (1970-72)
hopes for the Republican nomination in both 1856 and 1860,
and then at Teachers College of Columbia (1972-79); she
in
New
he accepted the post of secretary of state in Lincoln's
also served with the Municipal Assistance Corporation
1936)
cabinet. After Lincoln squelched his attempts at imposing his
(1975-77), which helped restore financial stability to New
1941),
he
own views and policies, Seward settled down to become an
York City. She was assistant secretary for political develop-
(1943-50)
excellent secretary of state. He was wounded by one of the
ment and research in the Department of Housing and Urban
for
conspirators who killed Lincoln (1865), but recovered to
Development (1977-80). In 1980 she became president of
America's
continue serving under President Andrew Johnson. He
Hunter College (part of the City University of New York
the
five-
asserted the Monroe Doctrine against French policy in
City) - the youngest woman ever to head a major college;
1969-85);
Mexico (1866) and in 1867 bought the area of Alaska from
she greatly increased its endowment, enlarged its faculties,
204-1571
Russia for $67,000,000 - an action that was called "Seward's
upgraded its student body, and enlarged its building pro-
Folly." He sided with President Johnson and his Reconstruc-
gram. In 1988 she moved on to become the chancellor of the
tion policies, and with the end of the Johnson Administration
University of Wisconsin: Madison, only the second woman
born
(1869), he toured the world and retired to Auburn, N.Y.
(after Hanna Holborn Gray at the University of Chicago) to
and
Sexton, Anne (b. Harvey) (1928-74) poet; born in Newton,
head a major American research university; she also became
joining
Mass. She studied at Garland Junior College, Boston (1947-
a professor of political science and educational policy
and
48), and was a fashion model (1950-51). Based in Weston,
studies. One of her most publicized programs there was the
Often
Mass., she married (1948), divorced (1974), and suffered
so-called Madison Plan to deal with racism on campus. In
CBS,
he
from mental illness. Her autobiographical poetry remains
1993 she was appointed secretary of the Department of
the
respected and is noted for its highly charged emotional
Health and Human Services by President Clinton.
disillu-
climate, as seen in her first volume, To Bedlam and Part Way
Shaler, Nathaniel (Southgate) (1841-1906) geologist, geogra-
Wild
A
Back (1960). She committed suicide at the height of her
pher; born in Newport, Ky. After graduating from Harvard
career.
(1862), he served with the 5th Kentucky Battery in the Union
born
in
Seymour, Horatio (1810-86) governor; born in Pompey Hill,
army, then returned to assist Jean Louis Agassiz at Harvard,
with
N.Y. (brother-in-law of Roscoe Conkling). A protégé of
studying abroad afterward. In 1868 he returned to Harvard
the
big
William Marcy and an "Albany Regency" Democrat, he
for good, becoming an extremely popular professor, writing
Dorsey
on
served in the New York Assembly (1842, 1844-45) and
magazine articles and books, such as A First Book in
sician
at
gained a reputation for compromise and moderation. As
Geology (1884). He headed the Atlantic Coast Division of
in
Democratic governor (1853-55), he improved the prison
the U.S. Geological Survey (1884-1900) and revitalized
sideman-
system and opposed prohibition. He worked in business but
Harvard's Lawrence Scientific School while dean (1891-
1967
and
remained a respected figure in Democratic politics. Elected
1906). Books that reflect his interest in conservation and the
1992,
he
to a second term as New York's governor (1863-65), he
environment are Aspects of the Earth (1889) and Man and
role
of
provided the Union army with soldiers and financing even
Earth (1905).
engaging
though he was initially opposed to the war and to Lincoln's
Shanker, Albert (1928- ) union leader; born in New York
with
his
war powers. He made an unsuccessful run for the Demo-
City. He was a confrontational president of New York City's
as
a
cratic nomination for president in 1868, helped force Boss
United Federation of Teachers (1964-86), leading repeated
Tweed from power, and helped his own protégé, Grover
teachers' strikes and becoming a major force in city politics.
near
Cleveland, become president.
As national president of the American Federation of
during
Seymour, John (c. 1738-1818) furniture maker; born in
Teachers (1974) he supported public school reform and his
short-
England. In 1785 he emigrated to Maine and then arrived in
weekly column in the New York Times served as a much-
governor
Boston (1794) where together with son Thomas Seymour he
quoted forum for ideas on education.
in
the
became the leading cabinet maker in the federal style.
Shannon, Claude E. (Elwood) (1916- ) mathematician;
Dem
Shahn, Ben (Benjamin) (1898-1969) painter, photographer,
born in Gaylord, Mich. His paper, "The Mathematical
graphic artist; born in Kaunas. Lithuania. He emigrated with
Theory of Communication" (1958), marked the beginnings
born
in
his parents to New York (1906), was a lithographer (1913-
of information theory that underlies modern communica-
661
Scott-Seabo
Seward-Shattuck
1149
herican relations, restored peac
californium (98), produced by the alpha
of the Trent affair and the Alabama
Canadian border. He becan
bombardment of americium and cur-
claims. At the end of the war he forced
41) general in chief of the U.S
ium; einsteinium (99); fermium (100);
France to agree to withdrawal from
in the Mexican War com
mendelerium (101); and nobelium
Mexico within a specified time limit.
the amphibious operation
the
(102). The instruments and methods
Coincident with Lincoln's assassination,
Cruz (27 Mar. 1847) and
which were devised for the determina-
he was wounded by Lewis Powell, co-
and advance over mountaino
tion of these transuranic elements in-
conspirator with John Wilkes Booth. On
winning the battles of Cen
cluded the use of the Berkeley 184-inch
his recovery he continued in the cabinet
Churubusco, Molino del Re
cyclotron, and virtually created the
of Johnson and supported him against
apultepec, and finally taking
new technique of ultramicrochemistry.
the Radical Republicans. An expansion-
(14 Sept. 1847). After
Chancellor of the Univ. of California at
ist, he acquired Alaska from Russia
strained relations with Polk
Berkeley, 1958-61, he served as chair-
(1867) for $7,200,000 ("Seward's
the preferring of charges
man of the AEC (1961-70).
Folly"), negotiated a treaty for the pur-
Scott; the charges, howeve
chase of the Danish West Indies which
hdrawn, and in 1852 Congres
Seward, William Henry (b. Florida,
the Senate failed to ratify, and advo-
resolution giving Scott the
Orange Co., N.Y., 16 May 1801; d.
cated the annexation of Hawaii.
pay
of a lieutenant general. Th
Auburn, N.Y., 10 Oct. 1872), statesman,
ndidate for the presidency
was graduated from Union College
Shattuck, Lemuel (b. Ashby, Mass., 15
of 1852, he was decisiver
(1820), admitted to the bar (1822),
Oct. 1793; d. Boston, Mass., 17 Jan.
by Franklin Pierce. In 1859
and commenced practice in Auburn.
1859), statistician. After briefly attend-
as peacemaker between
th
Affiliated with the Anti-Masonic party,
ing Appleton Academy, he taught school
Great Britain, on this occasion
he was elected to the state senate
at Troy and Albany, N.Y., and then in
serious trouble in the dispute
(1830-34), but defeated for reelection
Detroit. Returning to Concord, Mass.,
possession of San Juan Island
(1832), and was unsuccessful Whig
he set up a mercantile business at the
Sound. Despite his Virginia
nominee for governor (1834). After
age of 30 and, in addition, took a lead-
he remained loyal to
election (1838) and reelection (1840)
ership role in reorganizing the school
the Civil War broke
out
as governor, he resumed the practice of
system of that town. Around 1836 he
commander of the U.S.
law with notable success in criminal
moved to Boston to become a successful
reparations for defending
cases and in the patent field. Elected to
publisher and bookseller, retiring at the
retired on 1 Nov. 1861.
the U.S. Senate (1848) and reelected
age of 46 to devote himself to public
(1854), he took an advanced stand
service. A study of the local history of
Glenn Theodore (b. Ishpen
against slavery. In his speech of 11 Mar.
Concord (1835) and then a turn at
19 Apr. 1912- ), physica
1850 attacking the Compromise of
genealogy suggested to him the value
He was graduated (1934
1850 he enunciated "a higher law"
for vital statistics of birth, marriage, and
Univ. of California, where
than the Constitution. Opposed to the
death records. Founding the American
the degree of Ph.D. in 193
Kansas-Nebraska Bill, he declared at
Statistical Association (1839), he was
a full professor in 1945
Rochester on 25 Oct. 1858 that the
instrumental in securing the passage in
sociates, including Dr.
Ed
slavery struggle was "an irrepressible
1842 of a Massachusetts law requiring
McMillan, with whom
conflict" between North and South.
the registration of births, marriages, and
he Nobel prize in chemistr
Prominent in the new Republican party,
deaths. Chosen to direct a census of
or their work in the transurant
he was unsuccessful candidate for presi-
the city of Boston in 1845, he made it
he discovered plutonium
dent in 1856 and again in 1860, but en-
one of persons rather than of families.
applied the fuel for the atom
tered Lincoln's cabinet as Secretary of
He was instrumental in extending the
he researches of Seaborg
State. His advocacy of a strong foreign
scope of the U.S. Census of 1850, which
on heavier-than-uranium
policy to unify the country faced with
marked a notable advance in information
led to the discovery of
civil war was fortunately not heeded by
gathering. Chairman (1849) of the
lements, including americium
Lincoln. His most notable achievements
commission to make a sanitary survey of
(96); berkelium (97)
were his negotiations with Great Britain
Massachusetts, his Report (1859) used
Seward
Seward
Col. John
Don't Worry (1897), and How to Get Acquaint-
lition of imprisonment for debt. Defeated for
He spent
ed with God (1902). He died at the home of his
reêlection in 1833, he was unanimously nomi-
received
daughter in East Orange, N. J.
nated for governor in 1834. By this time the
founded
[Material for this article has been obtained largely
Whig party had supplanted the Anti-Masons,
the fa-
from members of the Seward family, notably from Dr.
and it was under the Whig banner that Seward
Later he
F. W. Seward, of Goshen, N. Y.; see also Grove's Dict.
of Music and Musicions, Am. Supp. (1930) Who's
was to fight for the next twenty years. In this
sic with
Who in America, 1901-02; and N. Y. Times, Sept. 1,
first Whig candidacy, however, he was defeated,
ot, and
1902.]
J.T.H.
by William L. Marcy [q.v.]. The next few years
This as-
SEWARD, WILLIAM HENRY (May 16,
Seward devoted to the practice of law, and he
.S career
1801-Oct. 10, 1872), statesman, was born in
acquired a modest competence through his suc-
organist
Florida, Orange County, N. Y., the son of Dr.
cess as agent for the Holland Company, in set-
1857 to
Samuel S. and Mary (Jennings) Seward. After
tling disputes with settlers in Chautauqua Coun-
0 Mary
preparatory studies in Florida and the neighbor-
ty (Autobiography, p. 328; Works, III, 461).
e was in
ing village of Goshen, he was sent at the age of
The Whigs carried the New York legislature
went to
fifteen to Union College. Graduating in 1820,
in the election of 1837 and Seward's political
quarters
he began to read law and was admitted to the
ambitions, which he professed were dead in 1834,
taught
bar in 1822, establishing himself the next year
rapidly came to life again, with the governor-
merged
in Auburn, N. Y., which was to be his home for
ship as their objective. The contest for the nomi-
of the
the rest of his life. Seward's convivial tempera-
nation lay between him and the dignified Francis
cal Ga-
ment as well as his profession fitted him for poli-
Granger [q.v.], nearly nine years his senior.
I Advo-
tics; the question was with what political group
Seward professed to be willing to let the con-
erseded
he would affiliate himself. His family had been
vention decide, but an active organization was
S editor
Democratic-Republicans of the strictest persua-
set on foot, the young voters being particularly
in 1868
sion, but with praiseworthy independence the
active in his favor. Weed, after some hesitation,
in East
rising young lawyer chose to ally himself with
decided that his protégé should have the nomi-
:ctor of
the opposing elements. In this decision the prin-
nation, and in a closely contested convention
organist
cipal factors, according to his Autobiography
battle Seward was chosen. In the electoral cam-
and the
(p. 54) written nearly fifty years later, were his
paign itself, he was compelled for the first time
Drange.
distrust of the Southern Jeffersonians, and his
to face the issue of slavery. His attitude in 1838
singing
great interest in internal improvements. At any
can hardly be called an advanced one. By the
:he sec-
rate, Seward voted for DeWitt Clinton for gov-
abolitionists he was asked three questions,
y Jubi-
ernor, and John Quincy Adams for president in
whether he was in favor of (1) a law granting
llection
1824, and wrote a good "Address" in support of
trial by jury to all fugitives, (2) of abolishing
reserve
the former (Works, III, 335). The enthusiasm
the special qualifications for negro voters, and
tinctive
which he then felt for Adams was never dimmed,
(3) of repealing a law permitting the importa-
and undoubtedly had its part in forming his own
tion and detention of slaves in the state of New
$ much
political ideals as time went on.
York for a period of nine months. He answered
Fa sys-
The closing years of the 1820's saw the rise
the first question in the affirmative, but the other
in the
of the Anti-Masonic movement in western New
two in the negative, declaring that the subjects
on the
York. To this Seward found himself drawn,
with which they dealt did not enter "into the
Reader
both by expediency and by conviction. In the
political creed" of his party (Works, III, 426-
aching
deliberations of the new organization, as indeed
32).
1 hymn
in previous political discussions, the rising young
The election of 1838 resulted in a victory for
Choir
politician was drawn close to Thurlow Weed
Seward, as did that of 1840, though by a reduced
Vine-
[q.v.], whose casual acquaintance he had first
plurality. His four years in the governorship
son he
made in 1824 and with whom he was to main-
reveal the natural ardor and optimism of his
Music
tain one of the most intimate and long-standing
temperament, his strong humanitarian sympa-
sacred
friendships in American political annals. It was
thies, and also his impulsiveness and tendency to
ith re-
due to Weed's influence that Seward stood for
challenge majority opinion. Always warmly con-
his life
and was elected in the fall of 1830 to the state
vinced of the desirability of internal improve-
ritings
Senate. In this body he served for the next four
ments, Seward courageously urged them upon
es. In
years, as a distinguished member of the minor-
successive legislatures (see his message of 1840,
ristian
ity and later as its leader. He played a promi-
Works, II, 212-55). In the midst of the depres-
and in
nent part in the debates on Andrew Jackson's
sion, he refused to acquiesce in the suspension
S pub-
bank policy; he sustained the President in his
of activities already undertaken, and from first
School
opposition to Nullification; he continued to ad-
to last boldly defended large expenditures. In
1896),
vocate internal improvements; he supported abo-
this particular case the policy cannot be said to
615
Seward
Seward
have succeeded. The state's credit was adversely
far in advance of public opinion to prosper po-
(Works, I, 8(
affected, its bonds selling at a discount of twenty
litically.
ing his views,
per cent. in 1841. When the Democrats regained
The years in the governorship depleted Sew-
unconstitution
control of both houses of the legislature in the
ard's financial resources. During the next seven
the speech of
fall elections, they proceeded to suspend virtu-
years he worked assiduously to restore them,
famous phras
ally all but the most necessary expenditures, and
at first in his old field, the court of chancery,
tution" (Ibid.
to levy additional taxes. Seward, however, stout-
but, after a little, more and more in patent
ly caught up t
ly insisted that his policy had been wise, and
cases. From time to time he took criminal cases,
it appear that
that the obstacles to its accomplishment were
involving trial before a jury. One of the most
beyond the g
merely a blind distrust of the future, on the part
striking involved the death sentence on a poor
text of the sp
of foreign investors and of the American people.
imbecile negro, Freeman, in whose defense Sew-
was merely de
His natural impulsiveness, as well as his gene-
ard made in 1846 one of the most eloquent of
duties the Se
rosity of feeling, was illustrated also by his at-
his speeches (Works, I, 391-475) ; this he af-
principle as W
titude on the question of public education in
terwards declared he would have repeated with-
None the less,
New York City. The schools there, conducted
out the alteration of a word. A case which won
ard resorted 1
by a private corporation, the Public School So-
him still more fame was that in which in a suit
ing explanatic
ciety, had been unacceptable to the rapidly grow-
for damages he unsuccessfully defended in 1846-
In the year
ing Catholic population, and, furthermore, did
47 Van Zandt, an Ohio farmer, who had assisted
promise meas
not attract the children of the immigrant classes.
in the flight of fugitive slaves (Ibid., I, 476 ff.).
dominated. It
In his message of 1840, after consulting with his
In these years of private practice Seward was
nourish presi-
old friend, Dr. Eliphalet Nott of Union College,
very far from abandoning his interest in politics.
necessary to n
Seward recommended "the establishment of
He took part in almost every campaign, often
his course. I
schools in which they (the children of New
outside the borders of the state. He also ardent-
Whig partisa
York) may be instructed by teachers speaking
ly championed the cause of Irish freedom, gain-
Weed, a great
the same language with themselves and pro-
ing the support of the Irish-American voters as
party victory.
fessing the same faith" (Works, II, 215). This
a result. The tide was running more and more
Zachary Tayl
recommendation caused a storm of criticism
his way, also, with regard to the question of
served to rais
from the nativist elements in the state, stronger
slavery. By 1848 anti-slavery sentiment had be-
principle; and
in the Whig than in the Democratic party. Sew-
come so strong that it was possible for him to be
the nominatic
ard was compelled to retreat from the position
elected to the United States Senate, many Demo-
1852, on muc
which he had assumed, though he succeeded in
crats, as well as all the Whig members of the
disliked the c
securing the establishment of public schools free
legislature, voting for him.
no means con
from sectarian influence in the city.
When Seward entered the Senate the slavery
theless made
On the slavery question Seward took advanced
question had become acute, and the question of
Whigs from
ground during his term of office. He refused to
its relation to the disposition of the territories
nominating CO
surrender three sailors, who had instigated the
just acquired from Mexico was assuming por-
a vote on the
flight of a fugitive slave to New York, when the
tentous proportions. In the celebrated debate
slave law whe
extradition of these men was demanded by the
growing out of Henry Clay's famous resolutions
fore the Sena
state of Virginia. His act provoked so much irri-
of 1850, Seward took his stand firmly against
meantime his
tation in Virginia as to bring about reprisals
all compromise, and in favor of the unconditional
tunity for the
against New York shipping. But it was typical
admission of California as a free state. In his
ism and repul
of his humanitarian spirit, and it won him the
well-known speech of Mar. II he declared that
felt sincerely,
ardent support of the growing abolitionist ele-
there was no reason to jumble together a variety
politically, but
ment (for the controversy, 1839-41, see Works,
of important questions in a single measure, as
lessness as tc
II, 449 ff.). No one would maintain, however,
Clay had wished to do; he boldly asserted that
demagogy. H.
that Seward was an uncompromising idealist in
the fugitive-slave law was impossible of enforce-
come to Kos:
the governorship. He dispensed offices on the
ment in the North; he wished to abolish, not
protest agains
strict spoils basis, as was the custom of the time;
only the slave trade, as proposed by Clay, but
gary; and he
he signed a law requiring registration of voters
also slavery in the District of Columbia; he was
Irish.
in New York City under party pressure and very
opposed to leaving the territories to organize
The election
much against his personal convictions; and it
themselves with or without slavery. In a presci-
pletely routed.
may be that other motives than humanitarian
ent sentence he declared that the slave system
to a rising anti
would either be removed "by gradual voluntary
Kansas-Nebra
interest were operating in the evolution of the
effort, and with compensation," within the frame-
troversy with
policies above described. But he declined to be
work of the Union, or the Union would be
In the debates
a candidate for reēlection in 1842, and his letters
dissolved, and civil wars ensue, bringing on vio-
greater caution
show that he felt himself at this time to be too
lent but complete and immediate emancipation
in the discuss:
616
Seward
Seward
rosper po-
(Works, I, 86 ff.). While thus boldly express-
party leader and opponent of slavery, in a meas-
ing his views, he disavowed any desire to act by
ure imposed such a course. However, though he
eted Sew-
unconstitutional or unlawful means. It was in
did not take the lead in opposition to the meas-
next seven
the speech of Mar. II, 1850, that he used the
ure, he spoke vigorously and frankly against it,
ore them,
famous phrase, "a higher law than the Consti-
warning the South of the conflict to which he
chancery,
tution" (Ibid., II, 74). Partisanship immediate-
felt it would inevitably give rise. The year 1854
in patent
ly caught up the expression, and sought to make
saw not only the rise of the Republican party in
nal cases,
it appear that he advocated action outside of and
the West, but of the Know-Nothing party, prin-
the most
beyond the great American charter. The con-
cipally in the East and South. For Weed and
on a poor
text of the speech itself clearly indicates that he
Seward these new organizations created natural
ense Sew-
was merely declaring that in the discharge of its
embarrassment. Reluctant to abandon the old
oquent of
duties the Senate must take account of moral
partisan vessel, they propitiated the anti-Ne-
is he af-
principle as well as constitutional prescriptions.
braska men by committing the Whigs to a strong
ited with-
None the less, when taxed with the phrase, Sew-
anti-slavery platform; by shrewd subterranean
hich won
ard resorted to rather shuffling and unconvinc-
work they managed to inter-penetrate the Know-
in a suit
ing explanations.
Nothing party and secure Seward's reëlection
in 1846-
In the years immediately following the com-
to the Senate. This latter success was the more
1 assisted
promise measures, the politician in Seward
remarkable since Know-Nothingism was con-
476 ff.).
dominated. It may be that he was beginning to
trary to the very essence of Seward's political
vard was
nourish presidential ambitions, but it is not
philosophy, and was known to be so. As the
1 politics.
necessary to make this assumption to understand
Kansas question continued to hold the stage in
gn, often
his course. He was, after all, still an intense
national politics, the necessity of abandoning the
0 ardent-
Whig partisan, and he had, in common with
old Whig party, or of merging it in the rising
om, gain-
Weed, a great interest in party manipulation and
Republican organization, became more and more
voters as
party victory. He had favored the candidacy of
obvious. The merger was effected in the fall of
nd more
Zachary Taylor in 1848, precisely because it
1855, and in the campaign of that year Seward
estion of
served to raise so few perplexing questions of
signalized the change by speeches of the most
t had be-
principle; and now he worked zealously to secure
forthright character on slavery.
im to be
the nomination of General Winfield Scott in
From 1855 to 1860 Seward embodied the
y Demo-
1852, on much the same grounds. Though he
growing anti-slavery sentiment of the North as
S of the
disliked the compromise measures and was by
much as any man. That sentiment was grounded
no means convinced of their finality, he never-
on genuine moral convictions; but it was often
slavery
theless made no serious effort to prevent the
blindly partisan, and reckless of the crisis which
estion of
Whigs from indorsing them in the national
it was rapidly promoting. In the struggle over
rritories
nominating convention of 1852, and he avoided
Kansas in 1856 he took the extreme view, advo-
ing por-
a vote on the question of repeal of the fugitive-
cating its admission as a free state under the
1 debate
slave law when Sumner brought the matter be-
Topeka Constitution (though a fairer solution,
olutions
fore the Senate in the session of 1852. In the
perhaps, lay in the Toombs bill, calling for a new
against
meantime his place in the Senate gave oppor-
election in the territory) ; in common with other
aditional
tunity for the expression of that ardent national-
Republicans he denounced the Dred Scott de-
In his
ism and republicanism which Seward doubtless
cision as the product of a conspiracy; and on
red that
felt sincerely, and which was highly expedient
Oct. 25, 1858, he made at Rochester, N. Y., the
variety_
politically, but which he voiced with such reck-
famous speech in which he declared that the slav-
sure, as
lessness as to lay him open to the charge of
ery struggle was "an irrepressible conflict" be-
ted that
demagogy. He played a leading rôle in the wel-
tween opposing and enduring forces (Works,
enforce-
come to Kossuth, introducing a resolution of
IV, 292). Yet Seward was not always a fire-
ish, not
protest against the Russian intervention in Hun-
brand; in 1858, partly perhaps for tactical rea-
lay, but
gary; and he again championed the cause of the
sons, he supported the Douglas idea of a de-
he was
Irish.
cision by popular sovereignty in the territory of
rganize
The elections of 1852 left the Whig party com-
Kansas, of course opposing the Lecompton Con-
presci-
pletely routed. The future appeared hardly bright
stitution; and the "irrepressible conflict" speech
system
to a rising anti-slavery leader; but soon came the
itself was followed by one in which, perhaps un-
luntary
Kansas-Nebraska bill, reopening the whole con-
der the influence of the storm of comment which
frame-
troversy with regard to slave and free territory.
he had aroused, he praised the moderation of the
ould be
In the debates on this measure, Seward showed
slave-holders, and sought to blame the free De-
on vio-
greater caution and less forthright courage than
mocracy of the North for the events of the last
cipation
in the discussions of 1850. His double rôle of
few years. On grounds of political expediency
617
Seward
Seward
he had been passed over in 1856 in the Repub-
As early as Dec. 8, Seward had been offered
that the publi
lican National Convention for Frémont; and
the office of secretary of state by Lincoln. He
one or more a
some of his shifts of attitude may be attributed
accepted on Dec. 28; and although he was deep-
Department I
to the fact that he had his eye on the presidential
ly displeased at the selection of Chase and Blair
to the Foreig:
nomination of 1860.
as cabinet colleagues, and even sought to reverse
vols., 1861)
In 1859 Seward went abroad, meeting many
his decision as late as Mar. 2, he yielded to the
for the Ameri
celebrities in England and France, and return-
entreaties of the President. He took office on
to whom his
ing to a great reception in New York. In Feb-
Mar. 4, no doubt believing that he would be, and
But in so doir
ruary 1860, he again advocated the admission of
deserved to be, the dominant figure in the ad-
to restrain pu
Kansas as a free state, and made a speech which
ministration, and the man who could best avert
His early dis]
may be regarded as an expression of the platform
the perils of civil war. In the critical period
and might ha
on which he would stand for the Republican
from Mar. 4 to Apr. 12, 1861 (the date of the
sometimes ha
nomination (Feb. 29, 1860, Ibid., IV, 619-43).
firing on Sumter), Seward appears at very far
coln. As time
Its general tenor was extremely conciliatory and
from his best. He still retained the delusion that
tone and ex]
moderate; with rare exceptions, Seward optimis-
he might determine the course of the adminis-
States with di
tically believed that Republicanism involved no
tration; and his famous memorandum, "Some
of the seizure
threat to the unity of the American people. When
Thoughts for the President's Consideration, Apr.
Trent, an act
the Republican National Convention met in Chi-
I, 1861," admits of no apology. In this reckless
sy by Northe:
cago in June 1860, he was undoubtedly the lead-
document he advocated embroiling the United
coolness in t
ing candidate, but the hostility of Horace Gree-
States with most of Europe and waging actual
When the pi
ley, the opposition of the Know-Nothings, and
war on Spain and France, as a means of solidify-
against such a
Seward's own too widely known radical utter-
ing the Union (Nicolay and Hay, post, II, 29).
this time som
ances, conspired to deprive him of the nomina-
The only concrete grievance on the horizon was
President, wh
tion. It was a severe blow, but he bore it with
the Spanish re-annexation of Santo Domingo,
heeded. The
his usual outward equanimity and with very real
and this had not been officially consummated. A
surrender of
generosity. He campaigned for the Republican
madder or wilder project than Seward's could
masterpiece (
ticket throughout the North, minimizing the
hardly have been devised. Nor is it possible to
an eye to mak
Southern threats of secession, and urging the
imagine anything more arrogant than the last
lently condem
election of Lincoln. In the crisis which followed
sentence of his memorandum, in which he virtu-
States, it flatt
the election Seward showed characteristic ele-
ally suggested that the President abdicate his
ous reasoning
ments of strength and weakness. His invincible
power to the Secretary of State. Seward's course
accord with fi
optimism inclined him to minimize the dangers
with regard to secession itself is not easy to justi-
The possib:
that lay ahead yet, in the face of secession, he
fy. It is understandable that he entered into
the Civil Wa
employed the language and the method of con-
negotiations with the Confederate commission-
similar adroit
ciliation. He was also one of the Senate commit-
ers sent to Washington to demand the surrender
patches, their
tee of thirteen constituted to consider means of
of the forts still held by the Union government
array of facts
composing the situation; as the spokesman of
in the South; but it is not so easy to justify
pression. Thi
the section, and at the suggestion of Weed, he
machinations behind the back of the President,
fortune and b;
proposed on Dec. 24 that Congress guarantee
by which the reënforcement of Fort Pickens was
warning of the
slavery in the slave states, and request the repeal
delayed, and the expedition to Sumter, when it
vention, was,
of the personal liberty laws in exchange for the
sailed, weakened by the absence of the Powhatan.
demanded. At
grant of jury trial to fugitive slaves (Senate Re-
Seward was not even resolutely pacifist; on one
bumptious, an
port No. 288, 36 Cong., 2 Sess., pp. 10, 11, 13).
occasion he spoke of using force to collect the
his dispatches
His speech of Jan. 12, 1861, made after three
revenue, and in general he was in favor of hold-
eral principle
more states had seceded, was admirable in its
ing the Gulf forts, perhaps with a view to a pos-
on the tact an
spirit (Works, IV, 651-69). Clearly avowing
sible war with Spain, though not of holding
Francis Adam
his loyalty to the Union, he again spoke in the
Sumter. No doubt much to his discomfiture, and
Seward made
most conciliatory vein, advocating a constitution-
with many a wound to his pride, he saw himself
of slavery to
al convention to settle outstanding difficulties,
overruled and the decisive events which culmi-
in France and
and even suggesting, in departure from the Re-
nated in the opening of the Civil War directed
Proclamation
publican platform, the admission of the remain-
by the chief whose real measure he had not yet
cause of his f
ing territories as two states without regard to
taken.
When it was
slavery. It is entirely possible that he personally
Seward's conduct of the office of secretary of
urged Lincoln
favored the Crittenden Compromise; but the in-
state during the four years of the war deserves
a Federal vict
fluence of the President-elect was thrown on the
high praise. More than any preceding secretary
But when the
other side, and Seward voted against this pro-
he conducted his diplomatic correspondence with
sued after Ant
posal when it came before the Senate on Mar. 2.
an eye to public opinion at home. It is no chance
in his dispatch
618
Seward
Seward
n offered
that the publication of diplomatic dispatches in
The danger of intervention seemed greatest in
coln. He
one or more annual volumes put out by the State
the fall of 1862 and the winter of 1863. At the
vas deep-
Department begins with him (Papers Relating
end of October, the French government sought
and Blair
to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 2
to secure joint action with Great Britain and
0 reverse
vols., 1861). He no doubt wrote almost too much
Russia looking to an armistice. The proposal
ed to the
for the American public, as compared with those
was rejected, and Seward wisely made no pro-
office on
to whom his dispatches were actually directed.
test. But when the French directly proffered
1 be, and
But in so doing he did much both to inspirit and
mediation early in 1863, Seward responded in
1 the ad-
to restrain public opinion as occasion demanded.
one of his most effective dispatches (Feb. 6,
est avert
His early dispatches were too blustering in tone,
1863, Senate Executive Document No. 38, 37
1 period
and might have gotten him into serious trouble
Cong., 3 Sess., p. II-16).
te of the
sometimes had it not been for the wisdom of Lin-
In his correspondence Seward adroitly. de-
very far
coln. As time went on, he dropped the truculent
fended the broad interpretation of continuous
sion that
tone and expressed the views of the United
voyage in dispatches that suggest Sir Edward
adminis-
States with dignity and force. On the occasion
Grey's half a century later, and he protested vig-
"Some
of the seizure of Mason and Slidell on board the
orously against the outfitting of Confederate
ion, Apr.
Trent, an act received with something like ecsta-
privateers in British ports. His steady pressure,
reckless
sy by Northern opinion, he behaved with great
combined with the skill of Adams, finally led the
United
coolness in the midst of popular excitement.
British government to take due precautions, in
g actual
When the protest of the British government
the case of the Laird rams, while his protests in
solidify-
against such action arrived, it was the Secretary,
the case of the Alabama laid the basis for solid
II, 29).
this time somewhat against the opinion of the
pecuniary claims later. Nowhere was Seward
izon was
President, who decided that the protest must be
more adroit than in his treatment of the French
Domingo,
heeded. The dispatch in which he conceded the
intervention in Mexico, and the establishment
lated. A
surrender of the Southern commissioners is a
of Maximilian on a Mexican throne. From an
I's could
masterpiece (Works, V, 295-309). Written with
early period he made the distaste of the United
ssible to
an eye to making palatable an act sure to be vio-
States for the whole project obvious; yet he
the last
lently condemned by the hotheads in the United
suavely assumed the rumors of monarchy to be
e virtu-
States, it flattered Northern opinion by its speci-
ill-founded as long as he could do so, and until
cate his
ous reasoning, and made the action appear as in
the end of the war never let anything like menace
S course
accord with fundamental American traditions.
enter into his tone. When the House of Rep-
to justi-
The possibility of European intervention in
resentatives on Apr. 4, 1864, condemhed the
red into
the Civil War Seward met, on the whole; with
schemes of Louis Napoleon (Congressional
mission-
similar adroitness. The optimism of his dis-
Globe, 38 Cong., I Sess., p. 1408), Seward
irrender
patches, their profound self-confidence, and their
penned a masterly dispatch in which he soothed
ernment
array of facts, could hardly fail to make an im-
French susceptibilities, explaining that the opin-
justify
pression. This tone, maintained through good
ion of the legislative branch of the government
resident,
fortune and bad, and coupled with warning after
did not alter executive policy (Apr. 7, 1864,
tens was
warning of the dangerous consequences of inter-
Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States,
when it
vention, was, in general, just what the situation
1865, vol. III, 356-57). When the Civil War
whatan.
demanded. At times Seward was still a little
was over, there was much sentiment for vigorous
on one
bumptious, and his habit of publishing many of
action against the French. Seward handled this
lect the-
his dispatches was often irritating, but the gen-
delicate situation magnificently. He temporized
of hold-
eral principle was sound. He could depend, too,
while he could; the situation of the French grew
o a pos-
on the tact and high diplomatic skill of Charles
more and more difficult; and then in dispatches
holding
Francis Adams in interpreting his instructions.
gradually mounting in tone he edged his ad-
ure, and
Seward made skilful use abroad of the question
versary, Drouyn de L'huys, from one position
himself
of slavery to check the anti-Northern agitation
to another, until he finally secured the promise
culmi-
in France and England. On the Emancipation
of the evacuation of Mexico in a fixed period of
directed
Proclamation he was at first conservative, be-
time. In the latter part of the correspondence
not yet
cause of his fear of its domestic consequences.
Seward fell into his old habit of writing for do-
When it was first discussed in July 1862, he
mestic consumption; and the same may be said
etary of
urged Lincoln to postpone action, at least until
of his correspondence with Austria on the same
leserves
a Federal victory (Nicolay and Hay, II, 479).
subject; but the total effect of his activity is
:cretary
But when the preliminary proclamation was is-
admirable.
ice with
sued after Antietam, he used it with great effect
Seward was, in temperament and conviction,
chance
in his dispatches to Adams and W. L. Dayton.
an expansionist. During the 1850's this senti-
619
Seward
Seward
ment came in conflict with his anti-slavery
partner. A woman of liberal sympathies and hu-
[Autobiograph
views, and led him to oppose such projects as
manitarian views, she undoubtedly influenced his
to 1834, with a M
His Letters, froi.
the purchase of Cuba. But when the war was
later career, and especially his attitude toward
Seward, the con
over the strong instinct revived. In 1867 he
slavery. They had three sons and two daughters,
Seward at Wash
negotiated the cession of Alaska, and with the
one of whom died in infancy. Frederick William
ed., The Works c
Life of Thurlow
aid of Sumner secured the prompt ratification
Seward [q.v.] was closely associated with his
autobiography, e
of the treaty by the Senate. He sought to acquire
father. A nephew, Clarence Armstrong Seward
by T. W. Barne:
Parties in the St.
the two most important islands of the Danish
(Oct. 27, 1828-July 24, 1897), who became an
Alexander, A Po
West Indies; but this agreement was never rati-
orphan in childhood and was brought up in his
II (1906) Pap
fied. He encouraged overtures from the Domini-
uncle's family, served for a brief time in 1865 as
of the U. S. (2
Foreign Affairs
can Republic looking to incorporation in the
assistant secretary of state and attained promi-
cited as Diploma
United States, again unsuccessfully. In his in-
nence as a corporation lawyer. His cousin,
Welles, Lincoln
Reminiscences of
structions to the American minister at Honolulu
George Frederick Seward [q.v.], another nephew
(1916) Olive F
he advocated the annexation of Hawaii. Sew-
of William H. Seward, was launched upon his
Travels Around
ard's views were those which a later generation
diplomatic career under the latter's influence.
John Hay, Abral:
1894) Frederic
was to accept.
In Seward the politician and the statesman are
In domestic affairs Seward exercised a con-
interestingly, and on the whole happily, com-
stant influence both on the Lincoln and the John-
mingled. It is easy to discover occasions on
son administrations. He had a large, indeed it
which he equivocated, as politicians do; it is easy
may be said the chief, responsibility for the treat-
to discover occasions on which he sought the
ment of political prisoners at the beginning of
applause of the multitude, not always careful of
the war, and contrary to his general temperament
the consequences. Even in his diplomacy, and
he here showed much rigor. He exercised, as
strikingly in his early utterances on questions of
has been seen, a positive influence on the policy
foreign affairs, this is true. Yet Seward chose
of the administration with regard to the border
his early political creed, it would appear, from
states and emancipation. He performed heavy
conviction; he associated himself with definite
labors as a sort of political liaison officer, and
policies, and loved to do so; much earlier than
his interest in problems of patronage, while not
most anti-slavery leaders of the political stripe,
always wisely exerted, was continuous. In the
he adopted that important cause; he often showed
Johnson administration he was a central figure.
real courage in advocating it. He made serious
He advocated a conciliatory policy towards the
blunders, and might have made more, in estimat-
South, wrote some of Johnson's most important
ing the true value of the conflicting forces at the
veto messages, and supported the President in
end of 1860 and the beginning of 1861 but his
many speeches, making "the swing around the
years at the State Department are years of steady
circle" with him in 1866. By doing so he lost
growth, and of very creditable achievement,
both popularity and influence, and he valued both
while his rôle in maintaining national morale
dearly; but whatever the reaction of the moment,
must not be underestimated. He was the par-
the judgment of time has been that he was wiser
tisan of a wise policy of reconciliation when the
than his opponents.
war was over. The unswervingly independent
The burdens of his last four years at Wash-
mind has its uses in the world; but its possessor
ington Seward sustained in circumstances that
is not apt to succeed in politics. It may be fairly
would have daunted a man less tenacious and
argued that Seward combined devotion to prin-
industrious. He had suffered serious injury in
ciple, and flexibility as to means, in such pro-
a carriage accident in the spring of 1865, and
portions as to make him most effective.
this had been followed by the brutal attack upon
As a human being, few could have been more
him in his house which was contemporaneous
lovable. Cheerful, generous, loathing personal
with the assassination of Lincoln; yet he was
controversy, he had a wide range of interests
soon transacting the public business with as much
and of sympathies. He read much and widely;
skill and coolness as ever. At the end of his term of
he traveled extensively, going to Europe several
office, despite the fact that he was partially crip-
times, and'seeing a great deal of his own coun-
pled, he went around the world, the first impor-
try. He was a little vain, and he had his political
tant American political figure to do so, and much
enemies; he is dwarfed by the master-spirit of
enjoyed the enthusiasm which his visit evoked.
his great chief; but, compared with the irascible
He returned to Auburn in the autumn of 1871,
Stanton, the pompous Sumner, the intriguing
and there increasing paralysis overtook him. He
Chase, and many others, he looms up as one of
died on Oct. IO, 1872. On Oct. 20, 1824, he had
the most attractive, as well as most important,
married Frances Miller, the daughter of his law
figures in a critical period of American history.
620
Seward
Seward
:s and hu-
[Autobiography of William H. Seward, from 1801
ard (3 vols., 1900), which is sympathetic yet critical,
ienced his
to 1834, with a Memoir of His Life, and Selections from
and is exceedingly well proportioned; T. K. Lothrop,
His Letters, from 1831 to 1846 (1877), ed. by F. W.
William Henry Seward (1896) and E. E. Hale, Jr.,
le toward
Seward, the continuation of this by F. W. Seward,
William H. Seward (1910), of less importance; an in-
laughters,
Seward at Washington (2 vols., 1891) ; G. E. Baker,
teresting sketch in Gamaliel Bradford, Union Portraits
's William
ed., The Works of William H. Seward (5 vols., 1884);
(1916) C. F. Adams, Seward and the Declaration of
Life of Thurlow Weed (a vols., 1883-84), including his
Paris (1912); Tyler Dennett, "Seward's Far Eastern
with his
autobiography, ed. by Harriet A. Weed, and a memoir
Policy," in Am. Hist. Rev., Oct. 1922; studies of Sew-
by T. W. Barnes; J. D. Hammond, The Hist. of Pol.
ard's Mexican policy in J. M. Callahan, Am. Foreign
g Seward
Parties in the State of N. Y. (3 vols., 1842-48) D. S.
Policy in Mexican Relations (1932), and Dexter Per-
ecame an
Alexander, A Political Hist. of the State of N. Y., vol.
kins, The Monroe Doctrine, 1826-1867 (1933); detailed
up in his
II (1906); Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations
study of his policy toward Great Britain in E. D.
n 1865 as
of the U.S. (2 vols., 1861), and Papers Relating to
Adams, Great Britain and the Am. Civil War (2 vols.,
Foreign Affairs (14 vols., 1862-66), bound and usually
1925) ; general treatment by H. W. Temple in S. F.
ed promi-
cited as Diplomatic Correspondence of the U.S.; Gideon
Bemis, ed., The Am. Secretaries of State and Their
3 cousin;
Welles, Lincoln and Seward (1874); F. W. Seward,
Diplomacy, vol. VII (1928) unpublished materials in
Reminiscences of a War-Time Statesman and Diplomat
:T nephew
the possession of Mrs. Thomas G. Spencer, Rochester,
(1916); Olive R. Seward, ed., William H. Seward's
N. Y., and W. H. Seward, Auburn, N. Y.; unpub-
upon his
Travels Around the World (1873); J. G. Nicolay and
John Hay, Abraham Lincoln, Complete Works (2 vols.,
lished correspondence in Dept. of State, Washington
luence. 3
1894) Frederic Bancroft, The Life of William H. Sow
D. C.]
D.P.
sman are
ily, com-
sions on
it is easy
ught the
areful of
acy, and
:stions of
and chose
ar, from
definite
lier than
al stripe,
1 showed
e serious
estimat-
tes at the
( but his
of steady
evement,
I morale
the par-
vhen the
ependent
ossessor
be fairly
to prin-
ich pro-
en more
personal
interests
widely;
several
n coun-
political
spirit of
rascible
triguing
; one of
portant,
istory.
621
William Seward
http://www.prismnet.com/-ssor/add1/seward.html
ARTICLE: Seward, William H.
{soo'-urd}
William Henry Seward, b. Florida, N.Y., May 16, 1801, d. Oct. 10, 1872,
was a Republican party leader and U.S. secretary of state (1861-69). After
practicing law he entered New York politics and became a state senator
(1830-34), the first Whig governor of New York (1838-42), and a U.S.
senator (1849-61). He advocated internal improvements, prison reform,
and the education of immigrants in their own languages by teachers of
their own religious faiths.
Although he did not think blacks equal to whites, Seward was an
outspoken opponent of slavery. In 1850 he advocated barring slavery from
the territories by appealing to a "higher law than the Constitution." That
year he also described sectional controversy as an "irrepressible conflict,"
thereby earning an unmerited reputation for radicalism.
Seward was the front-runner for the 1860 Republican presidential
nomination but failed to attain it; many Republicans feared that his
record of support for antislavery and Catholic rights did not have a broad
enough appeal. Appointed secretary of state by his successful rival,
President Abraham Lincoln, Seward succeeded in maintaining good
relations with European nations during the Civil War and in preventing
them from extending recognition to the Confederacy. After settling the
TRENT AFFAIR amicably by releasing two Confederate agents who had
been removed from a British ship, he convinced England that British
recognition of the South would mean war. He waited until after the
Confederate surrender before pressing strongly for French withdrawal
from Mexico.
Lincoln came to trust Seward's advice on domestic questions, most
notably in delaying the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation
until after the Union victory at Antietam in 1862. John Wilkes Booth
included Seward as a target in the assassination plot that succeeded in
killing Lincoln; although severely wounded, Seward survived. Continuing
as secretary of state under Andrew Johnson, he backed the president
against Radical Republican attacks. An expansionist, Seward purchased
(1867) Alaska for the United States and favored the acquisition of the
Danish West Indies (the Virgin Islands) and Hawaii.
Mark E. Neely, Jr.
Bibliography: Bancroft, Frederic, The Life of William H. Seward, 2 vols. (1900; repr. 1967); Paolino, Ernest N., The Foundations
of the American Empire: William Henry Seward and U.S. Foreign Policy (1973); Taylor, John M., William Henry Seward:
Lincoln's Right Hand (1991); Van Deusen, Glyndon G., William Henry Seward (1967).
NOTE: Though it is not mentioned in the above article William Seward lived a good deal
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