Abandoned Tracks

W. Thomas Mainwaring

Description

In Abandoned Tracks, W. Thomas Mainwaring bridges the gap between scholarly and popular perceptions of the Underground Railroad. Historians have long recognized that many aspects of the Underground Railroad have been mythologized by emotion, memory, time, and wishful thinking. Mainwaring’s book is a rich, in-depth attempt to separate fact from fiction in one local area, while also contributing to a scholarly discussion of the Underground Railroad by placing Washington County, Pennsylvania, in the national context. Just as the North was not consistent in its perspective on the Civil War and the slavery issue, the Underground Railroad had distinct regional variations. Washington County had a well-organized abolition movement, even though its members helped a comparatively small number of fugitive slaves escape, largely because of the small nearby slave population in what was then western Virginia. Its origins as a slave county make it an interesting case study of the transition from slavery to freedom and of the origins of black and white abolitionism. Abandoned Tracks lends much to the ongoing scholarly debate about the extent, scope, and nature of the Underground Railroad. This book is written both for scholars of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad and for an audience interested in local history.

The most famous case of a fugitive slave escape along the National Road in Washington County occurred in 1828. Christian “Kit” Sharp had fled from his Kentucky master, Robert Carlyle, but Carlyle tracked Sharp down and captured him somewhere on the National Road between Washington and West Brownsville in southeastern Washington County. Carlyle brought Sharp back to Washington and spent the night of January 31 there. The next morning, he set off on foot for Wheeling before daylight with his handcuffed slave in tow. Carlyle was murdered on the outskirts of Washington later that morning, his skull crushed by a blunt object. Sharp reported the crime and claimed that three unknown assailants had attacked his master. He was immediately suspected of the murder, however, because of the bloodstains on his clothing. Although Samuel McFarland, a prominent local attorney who later became a leader in the local Underground Railroad, defended Sharp, the jury convicted him of the murder. Sharp was executed on November 21, 1828.

At least some residents of the county believed Sharp’s story even after he had been convicted and hanged. They suspected that "Tar" Adams, the first identifiable figure in the local Underground Railroad, had in fact been one of the three assailants who attempted to help Sharp gain his freedom. Regardless of his involvement in the Carlyle affair, Adams is the first individual to emerge from the local Underground Railroad. According to local historian Earle Forrest, Adams had helped fugitives escape "even before the Underground was established." Forrest dates the organization of "the Underground" – by which he means the white Underground Railroad – to 1824. Perhaps it is merely a coincidence, but Jean Fritz in Brady, her novel for young adults about the Underground Railroad, named one of the black conductors Tar Adams. The setting for her novel is southwestern Pennsylvania.

Tar or Tower Adams’ life spanned the entirety of Washington County’s Underground Railroad history. Born a free person in Maryland in 1788, Adams had moved to Washington when he was a young man and begun practicing his trade as a gunsmith and running slaves to freedom. Adams emerges as a larger than life figure in the stories told about him. According to Forrest, Adams was a wonderful runner, but often went around on crutches "as a blind to slave hunters." He was apparently fleet of foot even in his advancing years. One story related by Forrest has it that Adams was at a blacksmith shop on West Chestnut Street in Washington when a group of slave catchers passed by. Feigning lameness and hobbling on crutches, he overheard their inquiries about some fugitive slaves whom they were pursuing. Once out of sight of these pursuers, Adams dropped his crutches and took off like a bolt for West Middletown, where he knew the fugitives were staying. (Jean Fritz likewise has her fictional Tar Adams drop his crutches when the need arose.) The sheriff, upon seeing Adams take off out of the corner of his eye, informed the slave hunters that further pursuit was totally useless, because "the old darky leaning on crutches would reach West Middletown before they could." They laughed the sheriff's comment off as a joke, only to discover to their chagrin upon reaching West Middletown that the fugitives had escaped. The story in all likelihood is apocryphal – it seems difficult to believe that men on horseback could not catch up to a man on foot with a lead of several hundred yards over the twelve miles to West Middletown – but nonetheless wonderful. One suspects that Forrest has indulged in a bit of hyperbole in relating this story, but it certainly testifies to Adams’ speed and to his involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Another major player in the early days of the local Underground Railroad is William or Bill Asbury. A powerfully built, light-skinned former slave from Virginia, Asbury had arrived in western Washington County by 1830. (He appears in the census for that year as “William Ashbury.”) According to the family legend, Asbury was so unruly that his master eventually let him go free. Shortly after settling in Cross Creek Township, he became involved in the Underground Railroad. According to the historian of the Cross Creek Cemetery, Asbury “was, from 1837 until his death, head engineer on the ‘Underground Railroad’ from his residence to Pittsburgh.” Reputedly Asbury and another free black led scores of slaves to freedom. He became so infamous among Virginia slaveholders that $1000 was offered for his head in Wheeling. Asbury died of natural causes in Cross Creek on March 12, 1846, at the age of 47.

Doubtless other African Americans in Washington County besides Tar Adams and William Asbury hid runaways and assisted them on the road to freedom in the early days of the Underground Railroad, but their names are lost to history. As Larry Gara commented in 1961, previous historians of the Liberty Line regarded it as primarily a white organization and often ignored the participation of black Americans. The involvement of blacks has similarly been slighted in local treatments of the Underground Railroad. Although Forrest does mention Tar Adams, the local historian devotes far more space to the exploits of white abolitionists. Adams is one of the few African American operatives whom Forrest identifies by name. Other historians of the county similarly had very little to say about black involvement in the Underground Railroad. There are probably several reasons for this neglect of black Underground Railroad agents. First, white historians simply may not have known about the activities of African American operatives. Second, blacks were probably less likely to have left behind written records of their activities, and they were not often sought out by earlier historians of the county. White participants also emphasized their own role in helping fugitive slaves escape, downplaying or ignoring the role of African Americans. The role of racial prejudice cannot be discounted either. As Gara has commented, whites were the heroes of the Underground Railroad legends, while blacks were often reduced to the role of passive passengers.

(excerpted from chapter 2)

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Twilight of Slavery

2. Radical Abolitionism and the Arrival of the Underground Railroad

3. The Legendary Underground Railroad in Washington County

4. The Underground Railroad Network in Washington County

Conclusion: The End of the Line

Appendix: Underground Railroad Sites in Washington County

Bibliography

Sujets

• 19th Century
• HISTORY
• Histoire
• U.S.
• African American studies
• Slavery in the United States
• United States
• États-Unis
• Discrimination

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 30 avril 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268103606
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

ABANDONED TRACKS
ABANDONED TRACKS
The Underground Railroad in Washington County, Pennsylvania
W. THOMAS MAINWARING
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
undpress.nd.edu
Copyright © 2018 by the University of Notre Dame
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Mainwaring, W. Thomas, 1952- author.
Title: Abandoned tracks : the Underground Railroad in Washington County, Pennsylvania / W. Thomas Mainwaring.
Description: Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2018011944 (print) | LCCN 2018012417 (ebook) | ISBN 9780268103590 (pdf) | ISBN 9780268103606 (epub) | ISBN 9780268103576 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 0268103577 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Underground railroad—Pennsylvania—Washington County. | Antislavery movements—Pennsylvania—Washington County—History. | Fugitive slaves—Pennsylvania—Washington County—History. | Abolitionists—Pennsylvania—Washington County—Biography. | Washington County (Pa.)—History—19th century.
Classification: LCC E450 (ebook) | LCC E450 .M25 2018 (print) | DDC 326/.80974882—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018011944
∞ This paper meets the requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail]
CONTENTS
List of Tables and Figures
List of Maps
Acknowledgments
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE. The Twilight of Slavery
CHAPTER TWO. Radical Abolitionism and the Arrival of the Underground Railroad
CHAPTER THREE. The Legendary Underground Railroad in Washington County
CHAPTER FOUR. The Underground Railroad Network in Washington County
CONCLUSION. The End of the Line
APPENDIX. Underground Railroad Sites in Washington County
Notes
Bibliography
Index
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
TABLES
Table 1. Slavery and Freedom in Washington County (Current Boundaries)
Table 2. Fugitive Slaves and Slave Populations, 1850 and 1860
Table 3. Fugitive Slaves from Virginia and Maryland Counties Contiguous to Southwestern Pennsylvania
PHOTOGRAPHS
1. Fallen grave marker in Little Zion AME Church graveyard, Centerville, PA
2. The LeMoyne House, Washington, PA
3. Masthead of the Washington Patriot , LeMoyne’s abolitionist newspaper. The Learned T. Bulman ’48 Historic Archives Museum, Washington & Jefferson College.
4. Grave marker of Kenneth McCoy, West Alexander, PA
5. Home of Samuel McKeehan, West Alexander, PA. Photo courtesy of Deborah Mainwaring.
6. Home of Thomas McKeever, West Middletown, PA. Photo courtesy of Deborah Mainwaring.
7. Home of James McNary, North Strabane Township
8. Home of William McNary, Chartiers Township
9. Home of John Berry, North Strabane Township
LIST OF MAPS
All maps prepared by Mark D. Swift, except map 12, prepared by Tim Brown.
Map 1. Washington County in 1781 Showing Territorial Dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia
Map 2. Slavery by Township in Washington County, 1781
Map 3. African Methodist Episcopal Churches in Washington County, ca. 1850
Map 4. The National Road, ca. 1830
Map 5. Centers of Abolitionism in Washington County, ca. 1840
Map 6. Fugitive Slaves from Virginia and Maryland Counties Contiguous to Southwestern Pennsylvania
Map 7. The Escape of the Clarksburg Nine, 1856
Map 8. Underground Railroad Network. Washington and Greene Counties, ca. 1860
Map 9. Underground Railroad Sites. Greene County, ca. 1860
Map 10. Underground Railroad Sites. West Alexander Area, ca. 1860
Map 11. Underground Railroad Sites. West Middletown Area, ca. 1860
Map 12. 1855 Doran Map of Washington Borough. Underground Railroad and Related Sites
Map 13. Underground Railroad Sites. Canonsburg Area, ca. 1860
Map 14. Underground Railroad Sites. Centerville Area, ca. 1860
Map 15. Underground Railroad Sites. Monongahela Area, ca. 1860
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have provided advice, assistance, and encouragement during the long time that it has taken to write this book. Thanks first of all to Joan Ruzika, who believed in this project when it was just a germ of an idea when we were board members at the Washington County Historical Society. Her support has been crucial during the fruition of the book.
I owe a huge debt to Mark Swift, a colleague in the Department of Music at Washington & Jefferson College, who volunteered to produce the maps for Abandoned Tracks. Mark spent countless hours discussing the concepts for maps, producing sample copies, and then going through numerous iterations to achieve high-quality maps. Mark’s expertise in geographical information systems has been invaluable, and his patience has been extraordinary. I can’t thank him enough.
Several other colleagues at Washington & Jefferson College played crucial roles in seeing this book through to publication. Robert Dodge, emeritus professor of history, offered encouraging words of advice from the inception of this project. He read numerous drafts of Abandoned Tracks and greatly improved its readability. Jennifer Harding in the Department of English also read the manuscript and raised penetrating questions. Her enthusiasm for the project was infectious and timely.
I owe a special thanks to Patrick Trimble, who spent many hours with me traipsing around the eastern part of the county in search of Underground Railroad sites. I knew I was in for an adventure any time he called or dropped by my office. His familiarity with the network of Underground Railroad agents in eastern Washington County saved me untold amounts of time. He also pointed me to a number of important documents in the Washington County Courthouse. Patricia Stavovy, who was then working in the Law Library at the courthouse, was unfailingly helpful in locating materials for me.
Jim Craig was an excellent companion in exploring Underground Railroad sites in the West Alexander area. He also alerted me to the existence of the Claysville Recorder , which offered valuable information about the Liberty Line that was otherwise unknown. He also helped me to nail down the locations of several people who had proven previously elusive.
The staff of the Washington County Historical Society was very helpful in locating materials and in assisting me in general. Thanks especially to Executive Director Clay Kilgore and Chuck Edgar, who were always willing to lend a hand. The Washington County Historical Society graciously allowed me to use the Doran Map of Washington Borough as it existed in 1855.
Anna Mae Moore did a splendid job of finding archival materials in the Washington & Jefferson library. I am happy to be able to tell her that this book will finally appear. Thanks also to Amy Welch for her assistance in locating and digitizing maps. Ronalee Ciocco, the college’s head librarian, helped track down some elusive references, and for that I am very thankful.
A number of former students also helped this project along. Natalie Rocchio at the Library of Congress spared me many trips to Washington, DC. Her willingness to track down and scan antislavery petitions from Washington County added substantially to my understanding of local abolitionism and opened avenues of understanding that I had not anticipated. Joe Smydo shared his work on the relationship between local colonizationists and abolitionists in several graduate seminar papers and in his excellent master’s thesis. His perspective raised important questions and helped me think through this relationship. Jason Haley did some very good work on the involvement of Presbyterian churches in the Underground Railroad. His honors thesis, “Washington County Presbyterians: Abolitionism in a Divided Denomination” (2002), proved very helpful.
My students in the Underground Railroad course I taught during the January 2005 Intersession unearthed some valuable information about local sites. Thanks especially to Megan McGee and Michael Batalo.
Several of my friends provided very helpful advice and encouragement during the preparation of this book. John Mark Scott Jr., my longtime colleague at Washington & Jefferson, went on several expeditions to help find sites along the backcountry roads of the county. Tom Hatley provided perspective and cheer when we talked about this project. Tim Brown read several versions of this manuscript and provided levity when the occasion demanded. His skill with Photoshop is much in evidence here. My brother Scott Mainwaring was also unfailingly helpful and provided crucial support for this project.

Stephen Little and Eli Bortz at the University of Notre Dame Press did a great job of guiding Abandoned Tracks through to completion. Thanks especially to Eli, who picked up this project in midstream and ushered its way to publication. Matthew Dowd, managing editor of the press, skillfully guided the final steps of the process.
Washington & Jefferson College provided vital support in allowing me to spend several sabbaticals working on this project. I would like to thank the college for this time, which offered me the opportunity to research, reflect, and write. A Kenneth M. Mason, S