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Today's featured #personplaceandthing is not strictly speaking a history writer, but I have always been of the belief that everything is history.
I feel a special affinity for Janisse Ray's writing because we grew up a half hour, and just a few years, from each other in rural Southeast Georgia, she in Baxley and I in Vidalia. My family often fished and spent time on and around the rivers and terrain that she writes about, not that I'm a nature and backwoods kind of guy at all. However, when I read her books, there's a comfortable familiarity, but I also learn so much.
Ray found her passion for ecology at North Georgia College, before earning degrees at Florida State and the University of Montana. Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (1999), is part memoir and part ecological history, concentrating on the disappearance of the long leaf pine forests that once covered the south, but including a broad survey of the flora and fauna of southeast Georgia.
Drifting into Darien is a history of the Altamaha River that runs from Middle Georgia to the coast at Darien. It's one of Georgia's greatest natural features, and it's also got a lot of human history, from Mound Builder and Creek Indian villages on its banks to the massive log floats that took place from the late 1800s to the 1830s in which timber raftsmen guided hundreds of millions of board feet of pine lumber to Darien to be shipped around to the rest of America and to Europe.
Place
The Altamaha River has been called "Georgia's little Amazon." It flows 137 miles from the union of the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers to the Atlantic at Darien, creating one of the largest drainage basins on the US Atlantic coast. It is Georgia's largest river.
Before European arrival, the river marked the boundary between the Timucuan people in the South, and the Guale and Yemassee peoples on the north. It is now widely believed that Fort Caroline, built by French Huguenots in 1564, was located at the mouth of the river. The next year, Spanish soldiers slaughtered the 150+ inhabitants. In the early 1600s, a Spanish mission was built near the source, part of a mission network.
The river also marked the western boundary of colonial Georgia until the American Revolution, and figures prominently in John Bartram's natural history trips through the South in the 1760s. Fort King George, in Darien at the river's mouth served as the southernmost British outpost from 1721-1736.
Until the 1930s, goods and people traveled the Altamaha on riverboats, and loggers floated logs to port in Darien.
And, the Altamaha even has its own cryptid, a legendary river creature called Altamaha-ha, which has its roots in Muscogee Creek tradition. The first non-native sighting report was made in 1830, and reports have been made periodically ever since. The alligator gar has been suggested as the most likely animal involved in the sightings.
The Altamaha River has been called "Georgia's little Amazon." It flows 137 miles from the union of the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers to the Atlantic at Darien, creating one of the largest drainage basins on the US Atlantic coast. It is Georgia's largest river.
Before European arrival, the river marked the boundary between the Timucuan people in the South, and the Guale and Yemassee peoples on the north. It is now widely believed that Fort Caroline, built by French Huguenots in 1564, was located at the mouth of the river. The next year, Spanish soldiers slaughtered the 150+ inhabitants. In the early 1600s, a Spanish mission was built near the source, part of a mission network.
The river also marked the western boundary of colonial Georgia until the American Revolution, and figures prominently in John Bartram's natural history trips through the South in the 1760s. Fort King George, in Darien at the river's mouth served as the southernmost British outpost from 1721-1736.
Until the 1930s, goods and people traveled the Altamaha on riverboats, and loggers floated logs to port in Darien.
And, the Altamaha even has its own cryptid, a legendary river creature called Altamaha-ha, which has its roots in Muscogee Creek tradition. The first non-native sighting report was made in 1830, and reports have been made periodically ever since. The alligator gar has been suggested as the most likely animal involved in the sightings.
Thing.
The longleaf pine is a major topic of Janisse Ray's first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.
It is a pine species indigenous across the southeastern US, from Texas to Virginia, capable of reaching a height of 115 feet. Before they were over-harvested, they reportedly grew up to 154 feet and 4 feet in diameter. They may take 100-150 years to reach full height and may live to be 500. They are hugely important in the region's biodiversity, and since Europeans arrived in America, they were harvested for lumber and ship's masts and naval stores. Naval stores are the products derived from the pines: resin, turpentine, used in building wooden ships. Due to over-harvesting and deforestation, it is estimated that only 3% of the original longleaf pine forests exist today.
The longleaf pine is a major topic of Janisse Ray's first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.
It is a pine species indigenous across the southeastern US, from Texas to Virginia, capable of reaching a height of 115 feet. Before they were over-harvested, they reportedly grew up to 154 feet and 4 feet in diameter. They may take 100-150 years to reach full height and may live to be 500. They are hugely important in the region's biodiversity, and since Europeans arrived in America, they were harvested for lumber and ship's masts and naval stores. Naval stores are the products derived from the pines: resin, turpentine, used in building wooden ships. Due to over-harvesting and deforestation, it is estimated that only 3% of the original longleaf pine forests exist today.
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March 25 is the birthday of one of Georgia's most highly regarded authors, Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). She wrote 2 novels and 32 short stories in her relatively short life before dying of the effects of lupus.
Her genre is Southern Gothic and usually involves very imperfect, usually described as grotesque, characters in often unpleasant, even violent situations. Common themes in her work are race, crime, disability, religion, sanity, and morality. She said, "Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic. She used sardonic humor as well, and many characters undergo change over the course of the story. She once wrote "Grace changes us, and this change is painful."
In 1952, she was diagnosed with lupus. The disease and its treatment was debilitating, but she managed to travel occasionally to lecture and read her work. She also spent a lot of time corresponding with friends, writers, and fans of her work, and she reviewed many books.
March 25 is the birthday of one of Georgia's most highly regarded authors, Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). She wrote 2 novels and 32 short stories in her relatively short life before dying of the effects of lupus.
Her genre is Southern Gothic and usually involves very imperfect, usually described as grotesque, characters in often unpleasant, even violent situations. Common themes in her work are race, crime, disability, religion, sanity, and morality. She said, "Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic. She used sardonic humor as well, and many characters undergo change over the course of the story. She once wrote "Grace changes us, and this change is painful."
In 1952, she was diagnosed with lupus. The disease and its treatment was debilitating, but she managed to travel occasionally to lecture and read her work. She also spent a lot of time corresponding with friends, writers, and fans of her work, and she reviewed many books.
Place.
Southern Gothic author Flannery O'Connor was born in March 25, 1925 in downtown Savannah Georgia, now The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home museum.
At 15, O'Connor moved with her family to her maternal grandmother's mansion in downtown Milledgeville Georgia. From 1838 to 1839, this house, built in 1820, had served as the temporary governor's residence while the Governor's Mansion was being constructed, and later had been acquired by the Cline family. O'Connor's mother owned the house until her death in 1995.
Flannery's father died in 1941, of lupus, and she and her mother moved to Andalusia Farm just north of town. She lived there, and did most of her work there, until her death in 1964. The farm remained in the family until 2003 when it was given to a private foundation for use as a museum. In August 2017, the site was gifted to O'Connor's alma mater, Georgia College & State University.
Southern Gothic author Flannery O'Connor was born in March 25, 1925 in downtown Savannah Georgia, now The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home museum.
At 15, O'Connor moved with her family to her maternal grandmother's mansion in downtown Milledgeville Georgia. From 1838 to 1839, this house, built in 1820, had served as the temporary governor's residence while the Governor's Mansion was being constructed, and later had been acquired by the Cline family. O'Connor's mother owned the house until her death in 1995.
Flannery's father died in 1941, of lupus, and she and her mother moved to Andalusia Farm just north of town. She lived there, and did most of her work there, until her death in 1964. The farm remained in the family until 2003 when it was given to a private foundation for use as a museum. In August 2017, the site was gifted to O'Connor's alma mater, Georgia College & State University.
Thing.
Flannery O'Connor had a thing for birds. At the age of six, she had an unusual chicken as a pet. Apparently, that was unusual enough for the British Pathe' Newsreel Company to film her and her chicken in Savannah, for movie audiences around the world to see. She also sewed outfits for her chickens.
But just not chickens, during her youth, she had quail, pheasants, guinea fowl, and several exotic varieties of chicken.
When she and her mother moved to the Andalusia farm, she acquired pea fowl. Soon, to her neighbors' delight I'm sure, her pea fowl flock had multiplied to over 100 individuals. They became a major part of her life; she wrote about them, and visitors often left with peacock feathers as parting gifts.
Flannery O'Connor had a thing for birds. At the age of six, she had an unusual chicken as a pet. Apparently, that was unusual enough for the British Pathe' Newsreel Company to film her and her chicken in Savannah, for movie audiences around the world to see. She also sewed outfits for her chickens.
But just not chickens, during her youth, she had quail, pheasants, guinea fowl, and several exotic varieties of chicken.
When she and her mother moved to the Andalusia farm, she acquired pea fowl. Soon, to her neighbors' delight I'm sure, her pea fowl flock had multiplied to over 100 individuals. They became a major part of her life; she wrote about them, and visitors often left with peacock feathers as parting gifts.
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Elizabeth Jane Cochran (1864-1922) was the 13th child (15 total, two wives ) of Michael Cochran, a merchant and mill owner outside of Pittsburgh. He died when Elizabeth was 6.
She was forced to leave school at 15 due to lack of funds. The next year, she responded anonymously to a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch called "What Girls Are Good For" (hint: children and cleaning). The editor was so impressed that he ran an ad to find out who the writer was. When Cochran came forward, he gave her a full time job. It was common for women writers to use pen names, and she chose Nellie Bly.
Her early articles were on the lives of working women. Then, at 21, she spent six months in Mexico, writing on the lives and culture of the Mexican people. After criticizing the Mexican dictator, she returned to the states where she was stuck writing about theater and fashion. She left Pittsburgh for New York, where no editor would hire her until she talked her way into The New York World offices and agreed to go undercover as a patient in the Women's Lunatic Asylum to investigate abuse. She spent 10 days and became a national celebrity.
In 1889, she embarked on a round the world trip to beat the 80 days of Verne's hit novel. A rival paper sent another woman reporter in the opposite direction to make it a race. Bly made it 72 days, her competition in 76.
Elizabeth Jane Cochran (1864-1922) was the 13th child (15 total, two wives ) of Michael Cochran, a merchant and mill owner outside of Pittsburgh. He died when Elizabeth was 6.
She was forced to leave school at 15 due to lack of funds. The next year, she responded anonymously to a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch called "What Girls Are Good For" (hint: children and cleaning). The editor was so impressed that he ran an ad to find out who the writer was. When Cochran came forward, he gave her a full time job. It was common for women writers to use pen names, and she chose Nellie Bly.
Her early articles were on the lives of working women. Then, at 21, she spent six months in Mexico, writing on the lives and culture of the Mexican people. After criticizing the Mexican dictator, she returned to the states where she was stuck writing about theater and fashion. She left Pittsburgh for New York, where no editor would hire her until she talked her way into The New York World offices and agreed to go undercover as a patient in the Women's Lunatic Asylum to investigate abuse. She spent 10 days and became a national celebrity.
In 1889, she embarked on a round the world trip to beat the 80 days of Verne's hit novel. A rival paper sent another woman reporter in the opposite direction to make it a race. Bly made it 72 days, her competition in 76.
Place.
When Nellie Bly went to New York to find a reporting job, she found every door shut until she proposed a piece of stunt reporting. For years, there had been stories of abuse at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island, now known as Roosevelt Island.
Roosevelt Island, located in the East River, had served many functions, the home of a penitentiary, a poorhouse, charity hospitals, and hospitals for contagious diseases, in addition to the asylum.
Bly got herself declared a lunatic and went inside as a patient. There, she experienced and heard other patients' stories of physical and psychological abuse and neglect. She also discovered that many women were not insane at all, but immigrant women whose lack of resources and English language landed them there.
When Nellie Bly went to New York to find a reporting job, she found every door shut until she proposed a piece of stunt reporting. For years, there had been stories of abuse at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island, now known as Roosevelt Island.
Roosevelt Island, located in the East River, had served many functions, the home of a penitentiary, a poorhouse, charity hospitals, and hospitals for contagious diseases, in addition to the asylum.
Bly got herself declared a lunatic and went inside as a patient. There, she experienced and heard other patients' stories of physical and psychological abuse and neglect. She also discovered that many women were not insane at all, but immigrant women whose lack of resources and English language landed them there.
Thing.
At least two companies tried to capitalize on Nellie Bly's around the world trip in 1890 by printing Nellie Bly trading cards.
At least two companies tried to capitalize on Nellie Bly's around the world trip in 1890 by printing Nellie Bly trading cards.
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Martha Dodd (1908-1990) was the daughter of William Edward Dodd, FDR's first Ambassador to Germany who served in Berlin from 1933 to 1937. Accompanying her parents to Berlin, she was in an unique position from which to witness the rise of Hitler and his Third Reich. Initially, she was enamored with Hitler's policies as he seemingly improved Germany's economy and put Germans back to work. She was outgoing, lively, and adventurous and socialized in high circles; an aide to Hitler even tried to encourage a romance between her and Hitler. Dodd described Hitler as "gentle and modest," but there was no spark between them. She was never lonely, though, enjoying numerous relationships in Berlin, with high ranking Nazis and various diplomats.
Following the Night of the Long Knives in the summer of 1934, when Hitler ordered the violent purge of many of his perceived rivals, her views toward Nazism changed. Soviet agents in Berlin immediately began cultivating her as an agent. Not that much work was needed. She jumped in. In 1938, after she and her family had returned to the US, she married Alfred Stern and recruited him. He founded a music publishing business which was mostly a cover used to transmit information to the Soviets. Dodd and Stern never really provided much of value to the Soviets, but continued, under FBI surveillance, until 1956, when they were convicted of espionage.
They fled the country, living in Prague, Moscow, and Cuba the rest of their lives. She died in 1990 in Prague.
In the Garden of Beasts is a great book about Martha, the Dodds, and their time in Berlin.
Martha Dodd (1908-1990) was the daughter of William Edward Dodd, FDR's first Ambassador to Germany who served in Berlin from 1933 to 1937. Accompanying her parents to Berlin, she was in an unique position from which to witness the rise of Hitler and his Third Reich. Initially, she was enamored with Hitler's policies as he seemingly improved Germany's economy and put Germans back to work. She was outgoing, lively, and adventurous and socialized in high circles; an aide to Hitler even tried to encourage a romance between her and Hitler. Dodd described Hitler as "gentle and modest," but there was no spark between them. She was never lonely, though, enjoying numerous relationships in Berlin, with high ranking Nazis and various diplomats.
Following the Night of the Long Knives in the summer of 1934, when Hitler ordered the violent purge of many of his perceived rivals, her views toward Nazism changed. Soviet agents in Berlin immediately began cultivating her as an agent. Not that much work was needed. She jumped in. In 1938, after she and her family had returned to the US, she married Alfred Stern and recruited him. He founded a music publishing business which was mostly a cover used to transmit information to the Soviets. Dodd and Stern never really provided much of value to the Soviets, but continued, under FBI surveillance, until 1956, when they were convicted of espionage.
They fled the country, living in Prague, Moscow, and Cuba the rest of their lives. She died in 1990 in Prague.
In the Garden of Beasts is a great book about Martha, the Dodds, and their time in Berlin.
Place.
The American Embassy in 1930s Berlin was supposed to be housed in the Blucher Palace, purchased in 1931 for 1.8 million dollars. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed much of the interior a few months later, and it wasn't until 1939 that the building was finished enough to move into, but the US ambassador was called home because of the war in 1941.
The Blucher Palace, located next to the famous Brandenburg Gate, was gifted to Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a reward for his service at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1869-70, the palace was completely rebuilt.
It suffered tremendous damage during the war, and its ruins were demolished in 1957. In 2008, a new US embassy was officially inaugurated on the site.
The American Embassy in 1930s Berlin was supposed to be housed in the Blucher Palace, purchased in 1931 for 1.8 million dollars. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed much of the interior a few months later, and it wasn't until 1939 that the building was finished enough to move into, but the US ambassador was called home because of the war in 1941.
The Blucher Palace, located next to the famous Brandenburg Gate, was gifted to Field Marshal Gebhard von Blucher by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a reward for his service at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1869-70, the palace was completely rebuilt.
It suffered tremendous damage during the war, and its ruins were demolished in 1957. In 2008, a new US embassy was officially inaugurated on the site.
Things.
After WWII, Martha Dodd and her husband were both put under surveillance by the FBI, leading to a final dossier of over 10,000 pages about their work as Soviet agents, but they never really passed on anything of importance, and the release of KGB files in the 1990s show the Soviets never really thought of them as real assets. In the 1950s Red Scare, they were publicly unmasked by an associate in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, prompting them to flee the country, first to Mexico City then to Prague. They were convicted in absentia of espionage and lived out the rest of their lives in Moscow, Havana, and Prague.
Erik Larson's book In the Garden of Beasts is a very interesting look at Dodd's life in Berlin and her view of the rise of the Third Reich.
After WWII, Martha Dodd and her husband were both put under surveillance by the FBI, leading to a final dossier of over 10,000 pages about their work as Soviet agents, but they never really passed on anything of importance, and the release of KGB files in the 1990s show the Soviets never really thought of them as real assets. In the 1950s Red Scare, they were publicly unmasked by an associate in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, prompting them to flee the country, first to Mexico City then to Prague. They were convicted in absentia of espionage and lived out the rest of their lives in Moscow, Havana, and Prague.
Erik Larson's book In the Garden of Beasts is a very interesting look at Dodd's life in Berlin and her view of the rise of the Third Reich.
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I have no idea why I woke up this morning drawn to post about a book about a man defending a woman's besmirched honor.
It happened during Andrew Jackson's first term and centered on Margaret "Peggy" O'Neill (1799-1879), the daughter of a tavern keeper in Washington, DC. She was an intelligent, talented, and outgoing little girl who grew into a flirtatious and outgoing young woman who enjoyed, in her own words, " the attention of men, young and old; enough to turn a girl's head."
Her father intervened to prevent her from marrying an army officer at 15. At 17, she married a 39 year old naval officer, John Timberlake. The couple met a 28 year old widower and close friend of Andrew Jackson, John Eaton. Eaton used his influence to get Timberlake posted to the Mediterranean, where he died of pneumonia in 1828.
Nine months later, Peggy married Eaton who had been appointed as President Jackson's Secretary of War. The wife of VP John C. Calhoun and the other Cabinet wives were outraged. Peggy had flaunted traditional mourning expectations, had somewhat of a checkered past, and untrue rumors floated in DC that Timberlake had killed himself over Peggy's suspected affair with Eaton. In their eyes, she also didn't know her place and was too outspoken. The Cabinet wives shunned the Eatons.
Jackson was very fond of both Eatons and remembered how his wife Rachel had been the target of scandalmongers during the campaign, and he blamed the scandal for her death. Based on the "petticoat affair, " as it was called, (and several other political reasons) Jackson demanded that the whole Cabinet resign. Only two remained in place. The incident, many feel, cost Calhoun any chance of the Presidency, and drove a deep wedge between the two men, fueling their hatred of each other.
Widowed again in 1856, Peggy married a 19-year old Italian dancing instructor who spent her money and ran off with her 17 year old granddaughter. Peggy died in 1879 at a home for destitute women.
I have no idea why I woke up this morning drawn to post about a book about a man defending a woman's besmirched honor.
It happened during Andrew Jackson's first term and centered on Margaret "Peggy" O'Neill (1799-1879), the daughter of a tavern keeper in Washington, DC. She was an intelligent, talented, and outgoing little girl who grew into a flirtatious and outgoing young woman who enjoyed, in her own words, " the attention of men, young and old; enough to turn a girl's head."
Her father intervened to prevent her from marrying an army officer at 15. At 17, she married a 39 year old naval officer, John Timberlake. The couple met a 28 year old widower and close friend of Andrew Jackson, John Eaton. Eaton used his influence to get Timberlake posted to the Mediterranean, where he died of pneumonia in 1828.
Nine months later, Peggy married Eaton who had been appointed as President Jackson's Secretary of War. The wife of VP John C. Calhoun and the other Cabinet wives were outraged. Peggy had flaunted traditional mourning expectations, had somewhat of a checkered past, and untrue rumors floated in DC that Timberlake had killed himself over Peggy's suspected affair with Eaton. In their eyes, she also didn't know her place and was too outspoken. The Cabinet wives shunned the Eatons.
Jackson was very fond of both Eatons and remembered how his wife Rachel had been the target of scandalmongers during the campaign, and he blamed the scandal for her death. Based on the "petticoat affair, " as it was called, (and several other political reasons) Jackson demanded that the whole Cabinet resign. Only two remained in place. The incident, many feel, cost Calhoun any chance of the Presidency, and drove a deep wedge between the two men, fueling their hatred of each other.
Widowed again in 1856, Peggy married a 19-year old Italian dancing instructor who spent her money and ran off with her 17 year old granddaughter. Peggy died in 1879 at a home for destitute women.
Place.
In 1794, Irish immigrant William O'Neill, or O'Neale, built two houses at the corner of I and 20th streets in Washington DC, four blocks from the White House. In 1813, he added twenty furnished rooms, and it came to be known as Franklin House. It became a popular tavern for politicians and those who had business with politicians, and it's where a teen Peggy O'Neill entertained the guests with conversation, piano, and songs.
O'Neill was a bad businessman, and he sold the tavern in 1823 to John Gadsby, a successful tavern owner with taverns in Baltimore and Alexandria. Franklin House was razed in 1914 and replaced with Penn Gardens, a complex housing two movie theaters and a dance hall. That only lasted till 1927, when it was replaced with an apartment building.
In 1794, Irish immigrant William O'Neill, or O'Neale, built two houses at the corner of I and 20th streets in Washington DC, four blocks from the White House. In 1813, he added twenty furnished rooms, and it came to be known as Franklin House. It became a popular tavern for politicians and those who had business with politicians, and it's where a teen Peggy O'Neill entertained the guests with conversation, piano, and songs.
O'Neill was a bad businessman, and he sold the tavern in 1823 to John Gadsby, a successful tavern owner with taverns in Baltimore and Alexandria. Franklin House was razed in 1914 and replaced with Penn Gardens, a complex housing two movie theaters and a dance hall. That only lasted till 1927, when it was replaced with an apartment building.
Thing.
This political cartoon made light of the "petticoat affair" depicting the Jackson administration collapsing into ruins as a result of the affair. The rats are cabinet members fleeing the "sinking ship." All but one, Secretary of State Martin Van Buren, trapped by Jackson's foot on his tail. Van Buren and the Postmaster General were the only two members to remain. When Vice-President John C. Calhoun later resigned, Van Buren became Jackson's VP and his anointed successor. As a result, Calhoun's ambitions to be President were also left in ruins.
This political cartoon made light of the "petticoat affair" depicting the Jackson administration collapsing into ruins as a result of the affair. The rats are cabinet members fleeing the "sinking ship." All but one, Secretary of State Martin Van Buren, trapped by Jackson's foot on his tail. Van Buren and the Postmaster General were the only two members to remain. When Vice-President John C. Calhoun later resigned, Van Buren became Jackson's VP and his anointed successor. As a result, Calhoun's ambitions to be President were also left in ruins.
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Persons.
At the dawn of the 20th century, in Chicago's Levee district, stood the Everleigh Club, a stately double mansion (two houses joined together) that served as Chicago's most opulent, infamous, and expensive brothel in the Midwest, maybe in the country. The proprietors were sisters Ada (1864-1960) and Minna ( 1866-1848) Everleigh. The sisters created an entire fictional biography, but they were actually born in Virginia to George and Jennie Simms. The family had lost their fortune and plantation as a result of the Civil War.
Both sisters married and divorced, then joined an itinerant theatrical group, changing their name to Everleigh. Stranded in Omaha in 1895, they pivoted, opening two successful brothels. They decided they were ready for a bigger market, moved to Chicago, and opened the Everleigh house in 1900.
For the next 11 years, they and their 30 employees entertained millionaires, royalty, politicians, athletes, entertainers, foreign dignitaries, and literary icons. Their "girls" lived in comparative luxury compared to their competitors, eating gourmet foods, wearing fine clothing, and studying art and literature.
Of course, their lives weren't totally idyllic. There were clashes with other madams and crusading reformers to deal with. Finally, the crusaders won, and the city closed the brothel in 1911, and the sisters retired millionaires
Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City tells the story of the sisters and the contradictions of their time.
At the dawn of the 20th century, in Chicago's Levee district, stood the Everleigh Club, a stately double mansion (two houses joined together) that served as Chicago's most opulent, infamous, and expensive brothel in the Midwest, maybe in the country. The proprietors were sisters Ada (1864-1960) and Minna ( 1866-1848) Everleigh. The sisters created an entire fictional biography, but they were actually born in Virginia to George and Jennie Simms. The family had lost their fortune and plantation as a result of the Civil War.
Both sisters married and divorced, then joined an itinerant theatrical group, changing their name to Everleigh. Stranded in Omaha in 1895, they pivoted, opening two successful brothels. They decided they were ready for a bigger market, moved to Chicago, and opened the Everleigh house in 1900.
For the next 11 years, they and their 30 employees entertained millionaires, royalty, politicians, athletes, entertainers, foreign dignitaries, and literary icons. Their "girls" lived in comparative luxury compared to their competitors, eating gourmet foods, wearing fine clothing, and studying art and literature.
Of course, their lives weren't totally idyllic. There were clashes with other madams and crusading reformers to deal with. Finally, the crusaders won, and the city closed the brothel in 1911, and the sisters retired millionaires
Karen Abbott's Sin in the Second City tells the story of the sisters and the contradictions of their time.
Place.
The Levee District was Chicago's red light district from the 1880s to 1912, a four block area between 18th and 22nd streets. It was a thriving neighborhood of brothels, saloons, and pawn shops, all businesses of vice according to crusading reformers who eventually succeeded in getting the city to cleanse the district in 1912.
The Everleigh Club was the creme de la creme of the district, famous for its lavish decorations and furnishings, including $650 spittoons.
The Levee District was Chicago's red light district from the 1880s to 1912, a four block area between 18th and 22nd streets. It was a thriving neighborhood of brothels, saloons, and pawn shops, all businesses of vice according to crusading reformers who eventually succeeded in getting the city to cleanse the district in 1912.
The Everleigh Club was the creme de la creme of the district, famous for its lavish decorations and furnishings, including $650 spittoons.
Thing.
The Everleigh Club was so famous (infamous?) that, in 1905, the Midwest Rail Works Company sold plaster models for model railroad layouts. I'm not so sure the models actually capture the real building, however.
The Everleigh Club was so famous (infamous?) that, in 1905, the Midwest Rail Works Company sold plaster models for model railroad layouts. I'm not so sure the models actually capture the real building, however.
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Person.
The Hemingses of Monticello: A book about one of the most important and interesting stories of American History, written by one of the most important female historians of the day - a twofer for Women's History Month. Annette Gordon-Reed's book investigates the Jefferson-Hemings relationship and their children's lives up to his death in 1826.
(There are no known portraits of Sally, so I included a few suggestions, and photos of Jefferson-Hemings descendants.)
Sally Hemings (c. 1773-1835) was an enslaved woman owned by Thomas Jefferson. She was the daughter of a bi-racial enslaved woman and John Wayles, the father of Jefferson's deceased wife. That made Sally and Martha Jefferson half-sisters. Sally was inherited by Jefferson, along with many others.
When Jefferson lived in Paris as US Minister (Ambassador), he sent for his daughter Polly to join him. Fourteen year old Sally accompanied Polly; Sally's older brother James was already with Jefferson learning French cuisine. She spent 26 months in Paris where she was technically a free person, slavery being illegal in France. We will never know for sure what happened, and when, between the 14year old and the 44 year old in Paris. However, a relationship began, and she may have been pregnant when they returned to the US. We'll never know for a fact if it started with rape, seduction, or some sort of mutualism, but the power and age differences loom over any discussion.
Why did she return when she was free? Well, she was a 16-year old, possibly pregnant girl thousands of miles from "home." Hemings family lore suggests that she made a deal with Jefferson: she would return with him if he freed all of their children when they turned 21. But all of her children, and she, would be free if she stayed in France, So???
In any case, she returned, and she bore six Jefferson children. Her descendants were only recognized by some of the white branch in the late 1990s, early 2000s.
The Hemingses of Monticello: A book about one of the most important and interesting stories of American History, written by one of the most important female historians of the day - a twofer for Women's History Month. Annette Gordon-Reed's book investigates the Jefferson-Hemings relationship and their children's lives up to his death in 1826.
(There are no known portraits of Sally, so I included a few suggestions, and photos of Jefferson-Hemings descendants.)
Sally Hemings (c. 1773-1835) was an enslaved woman owned by Thomas Jefferson. She was the daughter of a bi-racial enslaved woman and John Wayles, the father of Jefferson's deceased wife. That made Sally and Martha Jefferson half-sisters. Sally was inherited by Jefferson, along with many others.
When Jefferson lived in Paris as US Minister (Ambassador), he sent for his daughter Polly to join him. Fourteen year old Sally accompanied Polly; Sally's older brother James was already with Jefferson learning French cuisine. She spent 26 months in Paris where she was technically a free person, slavery being illegal in France. We will never know for sure what happened, and when, between the 14year old and the 44 year old in Paris. However, a relationship began, and she may have been pregnant when they returned to the US. We'll never know for a fact if it started with rape, seduction, or some sort of mutualism, but the power and age differences loom over any discussion.
Why did she return when she was free? Well, she was a 16-year old, possibly pregnant girl thousands of miles from "home." Hemings family lore suggests that she made a deal with Jefferson: she would return with him if he freed all of their children when they turned 21. But all of her children, and she, would be free if she stayed in France, So???
In any case, she returned, and she bore six Jefferson children. Her descendants were only recognized by some of the white branch in the late 1990s, early 2000s.
Place.
For two hundred years, the story of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson was silenced. Except for a few rumors spread by political opponents, no one publicly questioned, or sought answers. Of course, neither Sally nor Jefferson ever wrote about it. The descendants of Sally Hemings passed down family lore, but some of them even chose to lock that story up, either to avoid backlash or to pass as white in Jim Crow Virginia. White descendants of Jefferson either ignored the rumors or flat out denied them, refusing to entertain the possibility. In 1998, when DNA proved that a Jefferson had fathered Sally's children, some white Jefferson's still denied it, claiming that it was another Jefferson relative, not Thomas. Some white Jeffersons embraced the evidence and their extended family.
The curators and officials at Jefferson's home, Monticello, decided it was time to embrace the hard facts of slavery, the institution that provided Jefferson the money and the time required to make him a founding father. They've re-worked their tours and their focus to bring out the stories of the enslaved, including the Hemingses. In 2018, a new exhibit opened, called "The Life of Sally Hemings." It focuses on her life and her children at Monticello, including the discovery in 2017 of the room thought to be hers inside the mansion. The pictures here are from the Monticello website. There is a lot more information there. Go to Monticello dot org slash sallyhemings
For two hundred years, the story of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson was silenced. Except for a few rumors spread by political opponents, no one publicly questioned, or sought answers. Of course, neither Sally nor Jefferson ever wrote about it. The descendants of Sally Hemings passed down family lore, but some of them even chose to lock that story up, either to avoid backlash or to pass as white in Jim Crow Virginia. White descendants of Jefferson either ignored the rumors or flat out denied them, refusing to entertain the possibility. In 1998, when DNA proved that a Jefferson had fathered Sally's children, some white Jefferson's still denied it, claiming that it was another Jefferson relative, not Thomas. Some white Jeffersons embraced the evidence and their extended family.
The curators and officials at Jefferson's home, Monticello, decided it was time to embrace the hard facts of slavery, the institution that provided Jefferson the money and the time required to make him a founding father. They've re-worked their tours and their focus to bring out the stories of the enslaved, including the Hemingses. In 2018, a new exhibit opened, called "The Life of Sally Hemings." It focuses on her life and her children at Monticello, including the discovery in 2017 of the room thought to be hers inside the mansion. The pictures here are from the Monticello website. There is a lot more information there. Go to Monticello dot org slash sallyhemings
Thing.
During Jefferson's presidency, 1801-1809, political opponents attacked his relationship with Sally in cartoons and stories published in partisan newspapers. The Philosopher Cock depicts Jefferson with Sally as his hen. There's also a double meaning. The cock is the animal symbol of France. Jefferson's opponents were calling attention to his favoritism toward France.
During Jefferson's presidency, 1801-1809, political opponents attacked his relationship with Sally in cartoons and stories published in partisan newspapers. The Philosopher Cock depicts Jefferson with Sally as his hen. There's also a double meaning. The cock is the animal symbol of France. Jefferson's opponents were calling attention to his favoritism toward France.
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The painting, "Beyond the Myth of Benevolence" (2014) by Titus Kaphar is a powerful visualization of Thomas Jefferson's duality. Few figures in world history are as contradiction-filled and enigmatic as Thomas Jefferson. Throughout his life, the man who wrote "All men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence supported gradual emancipation of enslaved people, followed by training and colonization - sending the freed people out of the US. In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership, Virginia banned slave importation. In 1784, he proposed a federal law banning slavery in all new US territories; it failed to pass in Congress. (In 1803, however, he supported pushing slavery into the Louisiana territory.) In his "Notes on the State of Virginia" in 1785, he wrote that slavery corrupted both masters and slaves.
And yet, in his lifetime, he owned 600 slaves. His entire fortune was based on slavery, and he kept very detailed records of slave transactions and the profits that their work generated. Slavery allowed him the time to read, write, and think. Without slavery, he might never have been a founding father.
He wrote much about racial theories, especially his views that Africans were inferior and incapable of achieving equality. Yet, he fathered six children by Sally Hemings - and maybe more. His own grandson once wrote that there were a number of mixed-race slaves at Monticello that looked like his grandfather.
Master of the Mountain is based on the most recent scholarship and archaeological evidence of Jefferson and the inner workings of Monticello.
The painting, "Beyond the Myth of Benevolence" (2014) by Titus Kaphar is a powerful visualization of Thomas Jefferson's duality. Few figures in world history are as contradiction-filled and enigmatic as Thomas Jefferson. Throughout his life, the man who wrote "All men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence supported gradual emancipation of enslaved people, followed by training and colonization - sending the freed people out of the US. In 1778, with Jefferson's leadership, Virginia banned slave importation. In 1784, he proposed a federal law banning slavery in all new US territories; it failed to pass in Congress. (In 1803, however, he supported pushing slavery into the Louisiana territory.) In his "Notes on the State of Virginia" in 1785, he wrote that slavery corrupted both masters and slaves.
And yet, in his lifetime, he owned 600 slaves. His entire fortune was based on slavery, and he kept very detailed records of slave transactions and the profits that their work generated. Slavery allowed him the time to read, write, and think. Without slavery, he might never have been a founding father.
He wrote much about racial theories, especially his views that Africans were inferior and incapable of achieving equality. Yet, he fathered six children by Sally Hemings - and maybe more. His own grandson once wrote that there were a number of mixed-race slaves at Monticello that looked like his grandfather.
Master of the Mountain is based on the most recent scholarship and archaeological evidence of Jefferson and the inner workings of Monticello.
Place.
From about 1800 to 1823, one of the most profitable parts of Thomas Jefferson's operations at Monticello was the nailery. Eight weeks of work making nails and fasteners would generate enough profits to buy a year's worth of food for the family.
The nailery employed about 14 enslaved boys, aged 10 to 16. In Masters of the Mountain, Henry Weincek challenges past apologists' argument that Jefferson was not as involved in slave operations as other plantation owners. In fact, when he was present, Jefferson was highly involved in daily production reports and even each boy's output, acknowledging that the whip was often used.
Jefferson also acknowledged numerous times in letters that the selling of slaves was an important part of his finances, and he also kept careful records of sales and other aspects of his slaves' lives.
From about 1800 to 1823, one of the most profitable parts of Thomas Jefferson's operations at Monticello was the nailery. Eight weeks of work making nails and fasteners would generate enough profits to buy a year's worth of food for the family.
The nailery employed about 14 enslaved boys, aged 10 to 16. In Masters of the Mountain, Henry Weincek challenges past apologists' argument that Jefferson was not as involved in slave operations as other plantation owners. In fact, when he was present, Jefferson was highly involved in daily production reports and even each boy's output, acknowledging that the whip was often used.
Jefferson also acknowledged numerous times in letters that the selling of slaves was an important part of his finances, and he also kept careful records of sales and other aspects of his slaves' lives.
Things.
Thomas Jefferson personally designed his home, Monticello. While it was inspired by both classical Rome and 16th century Italian villas, he added many unique touches. Some of these touches also display his duality, or hypocrisy, when it came to the issue of slavery.
At the same time that he wrote in support of emancipation, he admitted that slavery made his lifestyle and fortune possible. However, he went to great lengths to keep enslaved people out of his sight and the sight of visitors. He's credited with inventing the dumbwaiter, which allowed servants to move bottles and trays of food into the dining room using pulleys, but without actually entering the room. He built service wings attached to the main house underneath walkways for servants to use so that they wouldn't be seen. Slave quarters were built up against a hill so that they wouldn't be easily seen from the main house.
Thomas Jefferson personally designed his home, Monticello. While it was inspired by both classical Rome and 16th century Italian villas, he added many unique touches. Some of these touches also display his duality, or hypocrisy, when it came to the issue of slavery.
At the same time that he wrote in support of emancipation, he admitted that slavery made his lifestyle and fortune possible. However, he went to great lengths to keep enslaved people out of his sight and the sight of visitors. He's credited with inventing the dumbwaiter, which allowed servants to move bottles and trays of food into the dining room using pulleys, but without actually entering the room. He built service wings attached to the main house underneath walkways for servants to use so that they wouldn't be seen. Slave quarters were built up against a hill so that they wouldn't be easily seen from the main house.
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