“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”

– Frederick Douglass



By DARREL RADFORD

Historically Speaking

The year was 1843. Henry County was just a couple of decades old. The courthouse was nothing more than a log cabin when a man seeking justice for his people came through this area with a voice like thunder, an energy like a whirlwind and a cause like an earthquake.

Former Maryland slave Frederick Douglass, described by Spiceland resident and Earlham history professor Dr. Thomas Hamm as “one of the most important figures in 19th century American history” found refuge in the small Henry County community of Greensboro after escaping a mob attack in Pendleton.

Local history enthusiast Jeff Ray called attention to Douglass’ visit recently. Extensive research by Ray, Dr. Hamm, articles written by late Henry County historian Herbert Heller and an editorial published a few years ago by The Anderson Herald-Bulletin allow us to share the deep historic rumblings that essentially occurred right in our own backyard.

The Herald Bulletin explained in its editorial that the New England Anti-Slavery Society sent speakers around the country to make 100 speeches promoting abolition. That’s why Douglass came to deliver a speech not far from the banks of Fall Creek in Pendleton.

The Anderson newspaper reported that Tom McClintock of the Pendleton Historical Museum said that as the speeches began, a group of men attacked the speakers with clubs and eggs.

Had it not been for a few sympathetic people at the event, Douglass might have been killed. He suffered an arm injury that historians say never healed, but he survived the attack.

A short time later, Seth Hinshaw, a well-known Greensboro Quaker active in Underground Railroad activities, gave Douglass refuge. The great freedom-fighter and orator is said to have given a speech in Greensboro’s Liberty Hall before he left.

“Greensboro was about as safe a place as you could find in 1843, since it was so strongly anti-slavery,” Dr. Hamm said.

Hinshaw may not have known it then, but he was aiding what history tells us was a remarkable man, someone born into slavery who grew up to defy a ban on teaching slaves to read and write, ultimately becoming one of the most eloquent statesmen of his time.

But then, Hinshaw, himself, was described by Dr. Hamm as perhaps “the most unusual and most fascinating person ever to live in Henry County … a brooding, bearded figure with the countenance of an Old Testament prophet.” His sheltering of Douglass was just one of many things Hinshaw did to promote the abolitionist cause. He ran a “free produce” store in Greensboro, meaning none of his goods had any connection to slave labor; led a campaign to desegregate the town’s school; and hosted numerous meetings of reformers.

Dr. Hamm said it appears that Douglass was probably in Henry County no more than “a day or two” before heading east to Wayne County and then into Ohio. But he says it is “very likely” Douglass delivered a speech here before he left.

While Indiana is generally regarded as a state that opposed slavery, some may not realize how divided Hoosiers were on the issue, making it even more courageous for Hinshaw to take the actions he did regarding Douglass and other abolitionists.

“Abolitionists were very unpopular with a lot of northerners,” Dr. Hamm said. “There are a lot of complicated reasons for that. There was a fear that black people, if given equality, would compete with white men for jobs and perhaps threaten white women.”

Hamm said Henry County was somewhat split on the issue, with anti-slavery forces generally stronger in the southern part of the county. “It was probably more than anything else, the Quaker influence,” Hamm said.

Meanwhile Prairie, Jefferson and Fall Creek townships “had a lot of settlers who were anti-abolitionists,” Hamm added.

“Abolitionists were seen by some as fanatics who threatened to break up the United States,” Hamm explained.

Plans are under way to erect an historical marker commemorating Douglass’ appearance in Pendleton. There is already a sign in Greensboro marking the spot where Liberty Hall once stood. Perhaps it should be amended to include the fact that Douglass spoke there. It could be said that without the compassion shown by residents in Pendleton and Greensboro, history itself might have been drastically altered where human rights are concerned.

The final words of the 2012 Anderson editorial also seem to apply here in Henry County regarding historical markers: “Such signposts remind local residents of the power of their own history.”

Darrel Radford is executive director of The Henry County Historical Society and a staff writer for The Courier-Times. The museum has ceased its normal hours in January and February, but is still open by appointment. Call 529-4028 to schedule a visit or email to [email protected].