Over winter break I went to Harpers Ferry with my friend, Addy. Luckily, I only live a couple of hours so it was a pretty easy drive down. My friend had made me a custom John Brown t-shirt that had a picture of John Brown with the words “he probably should have brought more canons….” and on the back had the words “1000 spears”. This is in reference to the purchase of 1000 spears and his unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry. The park ranger, Jeff Bower, got a kick out of my shirt and we ended up having a very long conversation about John Brown and Harpers Ferry. He even told me about a partnership Penn State had with Harpers Ferry for undergraduate students, which I was very excited to learn about! I was at Harpers Ferry the day the train ran over the walkway that my friend and I had crossed just hours before. I am very thankful that no one was injured in that accident!
While my friend and I were at Harpers Ferry, we went to go see an art exhibit above the John Brown museum called “The Invisibles” by Peter Cizmadia. The name is in reference to Annie Brown, John Brown’s daughter, in where she called the men that helped Brown in his raid. Annie Brown lived with many of the men and women for a month in a home before the raid and grew a close attachment to them. Annie Brown called them “my invisibles” when she was retelling her story.
Cizmadia made portraits of the 24 men and women that helped Brown but are often forgotten in the retelling of the raid. He wanted to highlight the fact that everyday normal people joined Brown’s raid because they also believed in the idea that slavery should be abolished, and was willing to die for that belief too. I really appreciated this exhibit because it gave a face to the people that died during the raid and highlighted different reasons for joining John Brown.
One person I wanted to highlight in this exhibit is Dangerfield Newby. Newby was born into slavery, but he was freed later in life. His wife and children, however, remained in slavery. He attempted multiple times to buy their freedom, but despite raising $1,600 he was still unsuccessful. He decided to join John Brown in his raid in a last-ditch attempt to save his family from being sold down to Louisana.
Unfortunately, Newby was one of the first raiders killed and his body was mutilated by the townspeople. When his remains were eventually recovered, a letter from his wife, Harriet Newby was found on his body. She stresses the increasingly desperate situation they were in and said how she missed him:
For there has been one bright hope to cheer me in all my troubles, that is to be with you. For if I thought I should never see you on this earth, life would have no charm for me
Stories like this are important because they highlight the people Brown was fighting for and it will be important to keep this in mind when I discuss in later blogs how people portrayed Brown after he died.
source:
The Invisibles of the Harpers Ferry Raid: a conversation with Peter Cizmadia
This is a brilliant post. It exposes the fact that so many names have been consigned to oblivion throughout history, simply because history is only written by the victors. The fact that some of these people who aided John Brown’s attempts at Harper’s Ferry are receiving their honors is reassuring, despite the fact that it came so late.
It’s amazing how many historical sites we have essentially right in our backyards. It’s awesome that Penn State also has the partnership with Harpers Ferry, I never would have guessed! It’s really fortunate that you guys were able to pass through before the train incident!
I think it’s so cool that you got to visit Harpers Ferry, especially since it means so much to you (not sure if it was your first visit or not). And the PSU undergrad connection seems like something that is perfect for you! The portrait that you included here is a really interesting and unique style, and I think the quote from Harriet Newby is incredibly moving and beautiful.
Its awesome that you got to visit the place that you have been talking about all semester. Its nice to know that others during the time period tried and preserved the names of those who helped John Brown. Its a tragedy that the names of hero’s like Dangerfield Newby get so easily forgotten with the sands of time. I really appreciate you sharing this remarkable individual with us in this weeks blog post!
Um… are the T-shirts for sale? I’ll take 6! This blog seems different from the previous but I still quite enjoyed it. And look forward to further posts. How do you think sights like Harpers Ferry will do if the quartine continues into the busy summer season? Do you think they would do virtual tours ever?