Contemplated Attacks” of Saturday, July 12, 1834, Compiled by the Mayor’S Office

RIOTS TARGET ��

BLACK NEW YORKERS ��

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�� & ABOLITIONISTS ��

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�� Identiﬁed with the Anti-slavery movement �� People of color & their organizations Attacks on July 9, 1834

�� Attacks on July 10, 1834 Attacks on July 11, 1834

Attacks on July 9 & 10, 1834 Attacks on July 10, targeted for a repeat on July 12, 1834 Attacks on July 11, targeted for a repeat on July 12, 1834 Potential attacks reported to the Mayor’s ofﬁce, July 12, 1834

ATTACKS ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1834 ATTACKS ON FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1834 A LIST OF “CONTEMPLATED ATTACKS” OF SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1834, COMPILED BY THE MAYOR’S OFFICE

1 THE CHATHAM STREET CHAPEL. 6 ARTHUR TAPPAN’S STORE on 122 Pearl 11 ST. PHILIP’S CHURCH, 31 Centre Street. 20 Residence of Charles King, 455 Houston 27 Oyster bar of THOMAS DOWNING, 5 Broad 34 Magdalen Asylum, 10 Carmine Street, a 42 4 PECK SLIP. A letter to the mayor from Formerly a theater, it was leased by the Street, near Hanover Square Arthur, the Street, corner Mercer (where the Angelika Street. Downing, a noted black entrepreneur, refuge for ex-prostitutes. Dr. John Anderton. “It is intimated that an 13 Oliver Street Baptist Church. Rev. Spencer Tappan brothers for the revival preaching of elder of the Tappan brothers, was president Cone, an ardent evangelical, was the minister Theatre is now). King, a son of Federalist tells the “mayor that he has been inform’d 35 AFRICAN FREE SCHOOL, on East Broadway attack of the Mob will assail my office on Rev. Charles G. Finney and called the Second of the American Anti-Slavery Society. of the church at 6 Oliver Street. statesman Rufus King, edited the New York that an attack will be made on his house and near Clinton Street. By this time, there were acct. of renting the Cellar and apartment to a Free Presbyterian Church. It was close to His clerks defended the store with firearms. American and later was president of requests the authority to interfere if it should several such schools for black boys and girls. Colored man that is married to a White the Five Points and black organizations 14 Bridewell Prison, behind City Hall, the Columbia College. be necessary.” (See original on the right.) woman they are both excellent Characters 7 REV. HENRY G. LUDLOW’s church, the 7 The Spring Street Church. frequently gathered there. On July 4, 1834, a symbol of the police. which can be testified by the neighborhood.” 8th Presbyterian or Spring Street Church. 21 Residence of ABRAHAM L. COX, MD, surgeon, 28 Residence of JOSHUA LEAVITT, editor, at mob disrupted an abolitionist lecture at the 15 “Geer’s buildings,” the landmark Colonnade 36 Shop of Wells Philips, a shoemaker, 105 (See original to the right.) Ludlow was reputed to have recently 434 Broome Street. Dr. Cox was recording 146 Thompson Street. He was editor of The chapel. On the 7th, a melee erupted between Row on Lafayette Place, originally twice as Chatham Street. We do not know why he was presided at the marriage of an interracial secretary of the American Anti-Slavery Evangelist and a manager of the American 43 AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION black and white groups contending for the long as it is today. Seth Geer’s new buildings threatened. couple. Society and one of the city’s leading doctors. Anti-Slavery Society. CHURCH, 156 Church Street, corner Leonard. use of the room. A false announcement of an were targeted “on the ground that the stone 37 Dr. Gardiner Spring was an ardent supporter One of the leading black churches in the city. 8 Residence of REV. LUDLOW, 148 Thompson 22 108 GREEN STREET, “occupied by a Black,” 5 The BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, on abolitionist meeting for the 9th set off three is from the State Prison.” of evangelical revivals and lived at 3 Bond Street. the note to the mayor said, “is expected to be Laight Street. 44 THE FREE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 74 Dey days of rioting. Street. He was targeted “on account of [his 16 THIRD FREE CHURCH, Thompson Street. attacked this Evening.” Street. This was Lewis Tappan’s church. 9 AFRICAN AMERICAN MUTUAL RELIEF 29 Building owned by EDWARD DAVIS, a black 2 LEWIS TAPPAN’S HOUSE, 40 Rose Street. Rev. Dirck Cornelius Lansing, a vice agitation against the] Sunday mail.” HALL, 42 Orange Street. Founded in 1808, 23 The Village Presbyterian Church, on Jane man, 121 Broome Street. 45 UNION CHURCH, PRINCE STREET. Rev. Silk merchant Tappan and his brother president of the American Anti-Slavery 38 THOMAS L. JENNINGS, 35 Chatham Street, this was headquarters of the most important Street. The trustees warned the mayor that Herman Norton, an ardent Presbyterian Arthur were the leading advocates of Society, was its pastor. 30 Building owned by EDWARD DAVIS, a black a colored clothier at the edges of the Five social organization in black New York. if “no other guard is present those interested revivalist from upstate New York, was immediate emancipation among white New man, 123 Forsyth Street. H. & A. Averill, Points, became an active member of the (Orange is now Baxter Street.) 17 Nassau Street Tract Society, 136 Nassau will feel it to be their duty to defend its pastor. Also a “free church,” surviving Yorkers. Tappan’s family had taken refuge in merchants on South Street, employed Davis Committee of Vigilance. In 1854, his Street. Rev. John R. McDowall was head of themselves and property, holding the without pew rents. Harlem before the attack. 10 HOUSES AND BUSINESSES OF BLACKS as a porter in their store. He “possesses,” daughter Elizabeth, a schoolteacher, sued to the American Society for Promoting the authorities responsible for any damage that ALONG LEONARD, CENTRE, AND ORANGE they wrote, “our entire confidence in point of achieve equal access for black New Yorkers to 46 The Evening Star office, 47 William Street, 3 Bowery Theater. The English-born manager Observance of the Seventh Commandment may arise either to life or property.” made ill-advised anti-American comments STREETS. This was the heart of the and the Magdalen Society, both intended to integrity & is civil & unobtrusive in his street railway lines. near Wall. The newspaper was edited by Five Points district, center of the black 24 A letter to the mayor notes that the house at manners & deportment.” (See original on the Mordecai Noah, a lay Jewish leader, Whig and saw his theater attacked. fight prostitution while assisting prostitutes 39 A COLORED PERSON on Laurens Street community in 1834. 11 Vandewater Street “was occupied right.) politician, and often caustic critic of black to reform. A nearby cellar on Nassau Street between Broome & Grand exclusively by colored people” and “the New Yorkers. 11 ST. PHILIP’S CHURCH, 31 Centre Street. was targeted because it is “occupied by a 31 Residence of REV. PETER WILLIAMS, 68 subscriber makes this application for 4 Residence of REV. SAMUEL H. COX, The leading black Episcopal congregation in colored man who is said to keep a white girl.” Crosby Street. An Episcopal minister and the 47 AFRICAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, protection of the premises.” 3 Charlton Street, near McDougal. ATTACKS ON THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1834 the city. A letter to the Mayor from Bishop leading black churchman in New York City, Frankfort Street. REV. THEODORE 18 State Arsenal at Elm Street. Presumably the 6 ARTHUR TAPPAN’S STORE, 122 Pearl Street, Benjamin Onderdonk alerted the authorities rioters would want the guns from the armory. 25 HESTER LANE, a respectable colored woman, Williams served on the executive committee SEDGWICK WRIGHT was minister of this near Hanover Square. 2 LEWIS TAPPAN HOUSE, 40 Rose Street. to the threats against the church. Mr. Elm is now Lafayette Street. owned her house at 33 Sullivan Street. A of the American Anti-Slavery Society until church, sometimes called Shiloh Church. William Hutson, senior warden of St. note says that “many Families of colour are forced by the bishop to resign from political Rev. Wright was an important black leader 4 Residence of REV. SAMUEL COX, 3 Charlton 40 Residence of Rev. Nathan Bangs, 48 Philip’s, carried the letter to the mayor. 19 Residence of Rev. Jacob Brouner, Barrow in her neighborhood.” Lane was active in activities. of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Street. Rivington Street, near Eldridge. Bangs was Onderdonk cites his “knowledge of the Street, near Bleecker. Perhaps his North purchasing and freeing slave families, and 32 Slams Building, on Essex Street near the editor of Methodist journals and the founder 5 The BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, on Baptist Church, on Bedford near Christopher, respectable and uniformly decent and orderly was falsely accused of slave trading in the Essex Market, contained notorious brothels. of the Methodist Missionary Society. He Laight Street. Dr. Samuel Cox, an ardent may have been rigidly evangelical or anti- character of the congregation of that late 1830s. (See original on the right.) tried to reconcile both sides in the slavery abolitionist, was its pastor. Church….” slavery. 33 Residence of Henry Pickering, editor of Old 26 Store of Roe Lockwood, a bookseller and controversy. Countryman, 105 Cross Street. This was a 12 AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH, Anthony publisher, at 415 Broadway. newspaper specializing in news of England, 41 Barzille Knorine’s boarding house, 562 Pearl, Street. (Anthony is now Worth Street.) Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. We do not near Broadway. This may have been an know why Pickering was targeted. (Cross interracial dwelling-house.

Street was later buried beneath Christopher 42 Columbus Park and the County Courthouse.)