BLACK HISTORY NEWS AND NOTES

THE TRAIL Chronicling Indiana’s African American History and Heritage

MAXINE BROWN

Images courtesy Teresa Douglass

A small shell of a cabin sits unfin- tion. The county registers were not, how- as well as “Kitt, a yallow negroe man ished in the backyard of the Clark cabin, ever, uniformly maintained. In addition about thirty years of age.” Kitt is also a historic reproduction of the General to having to register, some early settlers mentioned by George Washington Clark, and had to pay a $500 bond to prove that they one of Clark’s nephews, in connection family home in Clarksville, Indiana. It is would not become a financial burden on with his difficulty in walking and talking. being constructed by Indiana Department a given county. The last record of Ben and He stated, “General Clark had some dif- of Natural Resources employees at the Venus in Clark County is in the 1820 ficulty in talking, can’t say precisely what Falls of the Ohio State Park as one of the census. it was.” He added, “Had a servant Kitt, stops on a developing African American Locust Grove, the historic residence of who used to wheel him around.” Accord- Heritage Trail in southern Indiana. When William and Lucy Clark Croghan (George ing to James Harrison, whose father was finished, the cabin will be similar to one Rogers Clark’s sister and her husband) is the proprietor of Chalybeate Springs, a spa that housed Ben and Venus McGee, once located in Louisville across the Ohio River north of Jeffersonville, Indiana, that was enslaved by the Clark family. There are from Clarksville. A portrait of the general visited by General Clark: “Kitt . . . was plans to interpret the history of these early hangs prominently in the foyer at Locust about five feet, eight inches high, robust African American settlers. Their lives as Grove, where he spent the last nine years built, weighing about 160 pounds, dark free people began in one of the earliest of his life. yellow complexion, good and cheerful known African American communities George Rogers Clark Military Leader temper, and greatly attached to General in Indiana—the 1803 Guinea Bottoms in the Pioneer West & Locust Grove The Clark, and took pleasure in waiting upon Settlement. Croghan Homestead Honoring Him, by him.” Although one of Indiana’s oldest Gwynne Tuell Potts and Samuel W. He also commented that Kitt contin- families, the McGees are new names on a Thomas, makes several references to some ued to live at Locust Grove and “died there growing list of African American freedom of the people whom Clark sold to his some ten or fifteen years afterwards.” He seekers who lived in southern Indiana. brother, William. The individuals who are continued: “My impression is that he was Little is known about the couple outside mentioned include, “Lew a small black never treated as a slave after the death of of their relationship to the Clark family. man about 38 years old, Venos and her General Clark.” In a last will and testa- There are no photographs or sketches of two children Frankey and Tuna (Tenar),” ment that appears to be written in the the McGees. From time to time Indiana Lyles Consolidated School law required that African Americans com- in Lyles Station, Indiana. ing into the state register at their local Listed on the National Reg- courthouse. The Clark County Register ister of Historic Places, the of Negroes and Mulattoes, 1805 to 1810, school operates as a living makes no mention of Ben or Venus. The history museum to educate students about the history register listed pertinent data about the of the African American individuals—sometime including name, settlement. birth date, nativity, and physical descrip-

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hand of the general’s brother, William, “To all whom it may concern. Be it known that Kitt, Kitt was emancipated with the following words: “To all whom it may concern. Be having served faithfully, and as the body servant of it known that Kitt, having served faith- General George R. Clark deceased, conducted himself for fully, and as the body servant of General George R. Clark deceased, conducted many years with entire approbation, is hereby liberated himself for many years with entire ap- from any involuntary servitude to me or my heirs forever.” probation, is hereby liberated from any involuntary servitude to me or my heirs Clark into the state. In an interview that Archives, and is one of the forever. Given at Louisville State of Ky. biographer Lyman Draper conducted with earliest of such documents recorded about this 31st day of March 1818.” several individuals concerning the cabin an enslaved person freed in the Indiana Although no portraits were painted that the Clarks built, other references were Territory. Dated December 10, 1802, the of the Clark slaves, Kitt is described in made about those enslaved. Draper stated, manumission states: several eyewitness accounts, thus, leaving “Clark had some negro cabins around his Know all men by these presents that a historical imprint of one of the African house, where Caesar, Cupid, Ben McGee I, William Clark, of Jefferson County Americans who was associated with Clark. and his wife, Venus, lived.” and the State of Kentucky for an in Although there is no record of Kitt living Ben McGee’s emancipation docu- consideration of the services already in Indiana, he apparently traveled with ment is located in the Jefferson County, rendered to me by my Negro man

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slave, Ben, and regarding perpetual involuntary servitude to be contrary of principals of natural justice, do emanci- pate and set free forever the said Negro man slave, Ben, and I do hereby relin- quish all power and authority over the said Ben as a slave and do allow him all the rights, privileges and advantages of a free man to be enjoyed by him in as ample manner as if he had been born free. In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this 10th day of December, 1802. William Clark.

The following day, on December 11, 1802, Ben signed the following indenture document: This indenture made this eleventh day of December Eighteen hundred and two between negro Ben of the county of Jefferson and the state of Kentucky (late the slave of and emancipated by William Clark) of the one part, and the said William Clark of the same county and state of the other part, Witnesseth that the said Ben for and in consider- ation of the sum of one dollar current money to him in hand paid before the execution of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and Saint Stephen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hanover, Indiana. for and in consideration of the cov- enant’s conditions and engagements hereinafter conditioned and entered into, Hath bound and by these presents and that he will not suffer him or them This practice of emancipating enslaved doth bind himself to the said Clark, to be injured within the power of him, persons and then quickly signing them his heirs, and executors, administra- the said Ben, to prevent it and that he to long-term indentures was common in tors, and assigns from the date of these will not absent himself from the service Indiana during the territorial period and presents until the year of our Lord of the said Clark, his heirs, execu- early statehood. In Ben’s case, the inden- Eighteen hundred and thirty two. And tors, administrators or assigns. And ture was for thirty years. the said Ben doth covenant and agree the said Clark, for himself, his heirs, to and with the said Clark that he will etc., in consideration hereof promises, The African Americans who migrated truly, honestly, and faithfully serve the covenants and agrees to ____provide into southern Indiana counties along the said Clark, his heirs, executors, admin- and allow unto the said Ben during Ohio River represent some of the state’s istrators or assigns during the whole of all said term sufficient meat, drink & earliest inhabitants. The area’s close prox- this term as well as in the state afore- wearing apparel and lodging and at the imity to Kentucky, a state that appeared said as without; that he will give due expiration of these terms to give him divided on the “slave issue,” made this one half-acre lot of land in the town and prompt attention to the business section of Indiana desirable for freedom of the said Clark, his heirs, executors, of Clarksville in the Indiana Terri- seekers. Kentucky did not secede from the administrators or assigns and cheerfully tory. and obey his or their lawful commands Union, but allowed slavery to be legally practiced.

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The creation of a prototype for an The creation of a prototype for an Indiana Indiana African American Heritage Trail in southern Indiana is an important new African American Heritage Trail in southern initiative for the overall history and heri- tage of Indiana. The authentic sites and Indiana is an important new initiative for the structures that had a significant impact on overall history and heritage of Indiana. The the lives of African Americans are included in this developing trail. authentic sites and structures that had a The beginning point of the trail is a significant impact on the lives of African building called the Depot. It is located in a small 1871 structure that was originally Americans are included in this developing trail. a segregated restroom inside the Jefferson- ville Quartermaster, a U.S. Army facility a limited menu of soups, salads, sand- other famous musical icons plays softly in that manufactured equipment and uni- wiches, chips, drinks, and candy. Inside the background and quietly sets the tone forms for the military. The Jeffersonville the building there are historical panels on for discussion about early Indiana African Quartermaster was a large manufacturer the walls that give one a sense of African American history. of shirts. Historically, the Quartermaster American history in the region. Small The Depot staff is eager to share had a racially integrated workforce. It is tables for dining are attractively adorned historical information. There are several currently being developed as a mixed- with red-and-white-check tablecloths. A photographs of individuals and events that use property that houses offices and glass case that is built into one of the walls have had an impact on African American shops. Jeffersonville City Hall is the most displays handmade pottery by Indiana history in Clark County. The panels also prominent structure inside Quartermaster artisan, Carl de Graaf, a skilled potter and demonstrate the overlapping nature of Station, as it is now called. The Depot retired university professor. The Indiana history. Nathaniel Field, depicted on one is the most distinctive structure inside African American Heritage trail is part- of the panels, was a white Jeffersonville Quartermaster Station and sits just outside nering with the Indiana Artisan project founding father who moved to Indiana City Hall. In addition to welcoming guests to showcase and sell the work of talented from Kentucky to escape witnessing the to the city and the region, it offers travelers artisans. The music of Nat King Cole and cruelty of slavery. He was an abolitionist, a medical doctor, and a minister of the Advent Christian Church. Field platted some of the oldest neighborhoods in Jef- fersonville including one that is historically African American (now called Claysburg). Quartermaster Station sits inside Claysburg. Another historical panel includes a sketch of Polly Strong. As a twenty-two- year-old mulatto from Vincennes, Strong sued her owner, Hyacinth LaSalle, for holding her in slavery. Four years after the 1816 Indiana Constitution forbade slav- ery, the Indiana Supreme Court justices unanimously agreed upon her freedom. Strong had tried repeatedly to gain her The 1891 Taylor freedom in the Knox County courts only High School in to be denied. Jeffersonville, There is also a historical panel of an Indiana. unnamed older woman who was en-

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from 1816 to 1825. At one time in its At one time in its history, Corydon had hun- history, Corydon had hundreds of African dreds of African American families living there, American families living there, enough of a critical mass to justify a separate black enough of a critical mass to justify a separate school, the 1891 Corydon Colored School (now called the Leora Brown School). The black school, the 1891 Corydon Colored School schoolhouse has been rehabilitated for (now called the Leora Brown School). adaptive reuse as a historic site and cul- tural/education center. The building was renamed for its longtime teacher, Leora slaved in Meade County, Kentucky. The From Jeffersonville the trail continues Brown Farrow, who also attended elemen- woman is surrounded by small children. into Floyd County, where New Albany tary and secondary grades at the school. The compelling photograph is a reminder is the county seat. The Division Street The Corydon Capitol is on the trail to that if history is not preserved, it will be School established during the 1880s was denote that the landmark 1820 State vs. lost. There are also photos of schools and an African American elementary school LaSalle case was settled in that building by churches as well as individuals who were that has been renovated. The schoolhouse, the Court in favor of Strong. The follow- born and died in Indiana. which is owned by the New Albany–Floyd ing year, Mary Clark, another Vincennes Other stops on the trail in Jefferson- County Consolidated School Corporation, resident, was also freed from indentured ville include the 1891 Taylor High School, is operated by the Friends of the Division servitude by the Court. a African American institution that Street School. The organization teaches A historic marker that honors Harrison educated many of Jeffersonville and Clark fourth graders reading, writing, arithmetic, County’s most prominent Underground County’s black students. A historic marker and black history. Railroad conductor, Oswell Wright, sits was recently dedicated and placed in front The Carnegie Center for Art and His- on Chestnut Street, a busy downtown of the school. The building is privately tory, formerly a Carnegie library, boasts a thoroughfare. Wright was imprisoned for owned and badly in need of repair. In permanent exhibit on the Underground five years for allegedly assisting with the es- addition to its text, the marker has images Railroad in Floyd County. A historic cape of an enslaved Kentuckian. Two other of two of the school’s longtime principals, African American church, Second Baptist houses that are in need of repair are also Doctor Robert Taylor and Corden Porter. on Main Street, purportedly served as an on the trail, one that will become another Another stop on the trail is a histori- Underground Railroad site. welcome center, the Frank Scott house, cal marker in Jeffersonville that celebrates The trail then leads the traveler into and one that was built by African Ameri- the life of a woman who was arrested and Harrison County, where Corydon, the can Civil War veteran, Leonard Carter. imprisoned in 1864 after the Emancipa- county seat, was Indiana’s first capital Finally, one of Corydon’s oldest houses tion Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. In an ironic twist and reaction to the 1863 executive order, Ken- tucky argued that since it did not secede from the Union, it was not bound by the document. Hannah Toliver, a Kentucky The Leora Brown native who lived in Jeffersonville, was ar- School in Corydon, rested in Louisville for allegedly assisting Indiana. The former with the escape of an enslaved person from Corydon Colored Kentucky into Indiana. She was sentenced School received a to seven years in the Kentucky Peniten- new name in 1987. The name honors tiary in Frankfort, but served less than a the school’s longest year after she was pardoned by Governor serving teacher. The Thomas Bramlette. building today serves as a cultural center.

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According to the current owners, plans are being made to refurbish the house. Also, Georgetown, an African American neighborhood in Madison, includes a church that has been refurbished. It is slated to be a museum. The Eleutherian College located in Lancaster and founded in 1848 was one of the first Indiana institutions of higher learning to admit African Americans. In Hanover, there is a restored church and a small schoolhouse that is now being used as an antique shop. There are also many African American cemeteries in counties that had rural black settlements. The western edge of the trail extends to Gibson County where the historic farming community Lyles Station is located. The Lyles Station Consolidated School has been reconstructed since all that could be salvaged were the foundation stones. There are at least two public events that are held annually to promote Lyles Station, a cel- Eleutherian College in Lancaster, Indiana, which is located ten miles north of Madison. Founded ebration of Juneteenth and a homecoming by Reverend Thomas Craven of Oxford, Ohio, the school also served as a training ground for the in September. Sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The Indiana African American Heritage Trail will continue to develop that sits just on the edge of town, and that done by the Indiana State Museum to as public interest and support grow. was built by one of its earliest residents, gain more understanding of the significant A native of Harrison County, Jacob Kintner, will be on the trail. The African American population that lived in Maxine Brown is founder of the Leora Kintners held slaves at this house. The the settlement. Brown School, formerly the 1891 Corydon last stop on the trail in Harrison County Jefferson County with Madison as Colored School. She is designing an is the Constitution Elm, where the 1816 its county seat has more Underground Indiana African American Heritage Indiana Constitution that forbade slavery Railroad conductors documented than Trail that starts in Jeffersonville in Clark was signed. any other county in the state. George de County and continues throughout five other The trail also includes Orange and Baptiste, who was one of the most promi- southern Indiana counties. Brown is a board Jefferson Counties, where the Lick Creek nent conductors, lived in a small house in member of Indiana Landmarks and the Settlement, in Orange County once stood. Madison that has been placed on Indiana Society of Indiana Pioneers. • At least two archeological digs have been Landmark’s Ten Most Endangered List.

FOR FURTHER READING Jefferson County, Interim Report. Indianapolis: Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, 1989. | Lyles, Carl C. Lyles Station, Indiana Yesterday and Today. Evansville: Office of Development, Indiana State University, Evansville, 1984. | Peters, Pamela R.The Underground Railroad in Floyd County, Indiana. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2001. | Potts, Gwynne Tuell, and Samuel W. Thomas. George Rogers Clark, Military Leader in the Pioneer West and Locust Grove. Louisville, KY: Historic Locust Grove, 2006.

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