Published for the Members and Friends IN THIS ISSUE: of the Harpers Ferry John Brown Historical Association Sesquicentennial Summer 2009 Schedule of Events 2009 Don Redman Heritage Concert New John Brown Registration Open for John Book by Brian Brown Academic Symposium McGinty The Event A Fellow in Law and the Humanities at The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harvard Law School, Dr. Finkelman re- along with other partners, is hosting John ceived his Ph.D. and M.A. from the Uni- Brown Remembered, a multidisciplinary versity of Chicago. Prior to accepting a academic symposium on John Brown and position at Albany Law School in 2006, he his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. The four day had been Chapman Distinguished Professor symposium will be held at the Stephen T. of Law at the University of Tulsa College Mather Training Center in Harpers Ferry, of Law since 1999. Dr. Finkelman has also 1859 Raid held chairs at the University of Akron Law WV, from October 14 to 17, culminating on on Harpers Ferry the 150th anniversary of the raid. School, Cleveland-Marshall Law School and the University of Miami, and has taught The symposium promises to stimulate new at Hamline Law School, Chicago-Kent Col- and diverse academic research, scholarship, lege of Law, Brooklyn Law School and the and debate. Sponsors include Penn State University of Texas at Austin. His work on University, Mont Alto Campus, the Harpers legal history and constitutional law has been Ferry Historical Association, the Jefferson cited by numerous courts and in many ap- County NAACP, the National Parks Con- pellate briefs. He was a key expert witness in servation Association, and the John Brown the Alabama Ten Commandments monu- Heritage Association. This project is being ment case. presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a Dr. David W. Blight is a Class of 1954 state affiliate of the National Endowment Professor of American History at Yale Uni- for the Humanities. Any views, findings, versity. He previously taught at Amherst conclusions or recommendations expressed College for thirteen years. As of June 2004, in this program do not necessarily represent he is Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center those of the National Endowment for the for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Humanities. Abolition at Yale. Dr. Blight was a fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center The Keynote Speakers for Writers and Scholars, New York Public A specialist in American legal history, race Library. and the law, Dr. Paul Finkelman is a key The picture which appears on our newsletter’s nameplate, Dr. Blight is the author, editor, or co-editor organizer of the symposium and will help dating from 1803, is one of the chair the symposium review committee. Dr. of several books. His awards include the oldest prints of Harpers Ferry. Finkelman is the author of more than 100 Bancroft Prize, the Abraham Lincoln Prize, Twenty years earlier, in 1783, scholarly articles and more than 20 books. and the Frederick Douglass Prize as well Thomas Jefferson had declared He is an expert in areas such as the law of as four awards from the Organization of that this view was “worth a slavery, constitutional law, and legal issues American Historians, including the Merle voyage across the Atlantic.” surrounding baseball. Curti prizes for both intellectual and social continued on page 2 1 Armory John Brown Symposium clude the role Frederick Douglass played, Superintendent Continued from Page 1 the abolition movement in Kansas, John Members history. He frequently reviews books for the Brown’s men, the effect of his raid on the Jo (Kuhn) Curtis Washington Post Book World, the Chicago 1860 election, South Carolina’s and (West) In memory of Jim Kuhn Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Virginia’s responses, Brown’s effect on Brandywine, MD Globe and other newspapers, and has written African-Americans, the religious and po- Dr. Robert Johnson many articles on abolitionism, American litical impact of his raid, the trial, and the Harpers Ferry, WV historical memory, and African-American problems of adapting John Brown’s story to Ronald Jones intellectual and cultural history. Dr. Blight the big screen. Presenters will also examine Our Lady of Sorrows lectures widely on Frederick Douglass, W. E. the women connected to Brown, including School B. Du Bois, and problems in public history his wife, Mary Ann Day Brown, his daugh- Farmington, MI and American historical memory. ter, Annie Brown Adams, and even Julia Ward Howe. The women in his life will also Paymaster Members A respected historian of the black American be discussed by a direct descendent of John Jim and Suzanne Silvia experience, Dr. Spencer R. Crew’s innova- Brown. Taunton, MA & Harpers tive museum exhibits have brought new Ferry, WV life to American history. He is perhaps best Some of the colleges and universities rep- Maureen Weber known for his study of the Great Migra- resented include Columbia University, Falling Waters, WV tion—the massive movement of Southern the University of South Carolina, Howard blacks to Northern cities in the early twen- University, the University of Kansas, and Master Armorer tieth century. the University of Tuebingen, Germany. Members Each session will be one hour and 15 min- Allison Alsdorf A 1971 graduate of Brown University, utes in length with three presenters, each Harpers Ferry, WV Dr. Crew taught history while earning giving 20 minute presentations, followed by Kirk Bradley his doctorate from Rutgers University in a 15 minute question and answer period. For Sanford, NC 1979. After teaching African-American most session periods, there may be two, and Donald and Patricia Burgess and American history for more than seven possibly three, concurrent presentations. Harpers Ferry, WV years, Dr. Crew became an historian for the Hon. and Mrs. Thomas Smithsonian Institution National Museum The Field Trips Curtis and Family of American History (NMAH). In 1987, Several activities outside of the Mather Baltimore, MD he developed his first major exhibit for the Training Center are planned for the sympo- Peter Dessauer NMAH and wrote the accompanying book, sium. On Wednesday, October 14, a Park Harpers Ferry, WV Ranger guided program will take place in Kim and Frank Edwards Field to Factory: Afro-American Migration the Lower Town district of Harpers Ferry. Edgewood, MD 1915-1944, which inspired films, symposia, Wayne Hammond and several new books. In 1994, he became Participants will see key landmarks where Saxton, PA the first black director of the NMAH which the raid unfolded between the now peaceful Bruce Kramer he held until 2001 when Dr. Crew left the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. A recep- Baltimore, MD Smithsonian to become executive direc- tion at the Harpers Ferry Historical Associa- Anne A. Long tor and CEO of the National Underground tion Park Bookshop will follow the guided Myersville, MD Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, tour. Cynthia K. Mason Ohio. Baltimore, MD Thursday, October 15, will include a guided Linda Parks In 2007, Dr. Crew joined the staff of George tour of Charles Town, West Virginia. Par- Washington, DC Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, where ticipants will visit the Jefferson County George Rutherford he is currently a Clarence J. Robinson pro- Historical Museum, the John Brown gallows Ranson, WV fessor of American, African-American and site, and tour the John Blessing house. In Steven and Barnette Savitz Public History. His plenary presentation will 1859, John Frederick Blessing ran a bakery Teaneck, NJ focus on John Brown, the abolitionist. and confectionery in Charles Town and Karen, Terry, and Josh Willis frequently visited Brown in jail. Before his Chestertown, MD The Papers execution Brown inscribed Blessing’s bible Scholars and historians from seventeen with “best wishes…and sincere thanks for states and Germany will be presenting many acts of kindness.” Blessing later served fifty-nine papers in concurrent sessions in the Confederate Quartermaster Depart- at the symposium. Diverse topics will in- ment during the Civil War. 2 Recent Donations Mark Elrod and Judy Foulke Germantown, MD Pat Rissler Charles Town, WV Pikeside Lions Club Martinsburg, WV Note of Appreciation The Association would like to thank all of the past members who “came back to the Ferry” in 2009, and all of the members who have Dr. Paul Finkelman will deliver Dr. David Blight will present a Dr. Spencer Crew will deliver continually supported us a plenary presentation on John plenary talk on John Brown’s role a plenary presentation on John through the years. Brown’s role as a martyr. as a catalyst for the Civil War. Brown, the abolitionist. That evening, a lecture on the trial of John be made at the marker that designates the Brown will be given by author and legal his- location of raider John Cook’s capture, the torian Brian McGinty at the Charles Town house of slave catcher Dan Logan (who cap- courthouse where the trial actually took tured Cook), and the house of Hiram Wertz, place. McGinty is the author of Lincoln and a conductor on the Underground Railroad the Court (Harvard University Press, 2008) who unknowingly transported raider Al- which examines major Civil War Supreme bert Hazlett to Chambersburg. Dinner that Court cases and Lincoln’s interpretation of evening will be held at the historic South the Constitution and presidential power Mountain Inn in Boonsboro, MD. during war time. His new book, John Brown’s Trial (Harvard University Press, 2009), will After dinner, the bus will stop at the Ken- be released in October (see page 8). The lec- nedy Farmhouse for those who wish to ture is being sponsored by the West Virginia participate in a commemorative pilgrimage Humanities Council.