By KEVIN THORNTON
BRANDON—A recent query to the Brandon Free Public Library led to the rediscovery of a forgotten visit to Brandon of one most important Americans of the 19th century. Patrick Hanlon, a researcher for the Frederick Douglass Papers at Indiana University, had an unverified source indicating that Douglass spoke in Brandon on May 12, 1870. His question to the library was, could it be true?
It turns out that it could. A quick search of the local newspapers published in 1870 revealed that Douglass had indeed lectured in Brandon on May 12 of that year, in the Town Hall, on the subject of “Our Composite Nation; or the Fifteenth Amendment.” The talk was sponsored by the Brandon Y.M.C.A.
The final post-Civil War/Reconstuction-era amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the 15th Amendment, had been ratified on February 3, 1870, a mere three months before Douglass’s Brandon speech. The amendment prevented states from denying the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Douglass naturally believed it to be an immensely important step toward equal citizenship. This is what he wanted to convey to the people of Brandon.
By 1870 Douglass had been famous for many years. The universally acknowledged leader of Black America, he was extremely well-known as an editor, orator, and public figure. His visit to Brandon would have been a big event.
After the lecture he spent the night in town, too, at the home of Rodney & Eliza Marsh on Pearl Street, which still stands. How do we know? Because Eliza got his signature. Eliza, who was 54 years old in 1870, had been involved in the anti-slavery and Black-rights movements since the 1840s. She kept what she called a “Book of Sentiments,” in which she collected the autographs of people she admired and had had it since 1844.
In addition to asking for her subjects’ signatures, she also asked them to write down a “sentiment” about the cause. Here is Douglass’s:
Liberty for man, for woman, for each, for all and forever.
Fredk. Douglass
May 13th, 1870
The date—the day after the lecture—indicates that Douglass almost surely stayed the night at the Marsh house. This would have been nothing new for the Marshes—they had hosted other anti-slavery speakers before the Civil War, and they were surely thrilled to have Douglass as a guest as well. Since his “sentiment” is dated May 13, we can surmise that he signed Eliza’s book at the breakfast table, shortly before he left town.
Thanks to Mr. Hanlon’s question (and some timely research from Michael Dwyer) we now can say with certainty that Frederick Douglass is associated with not one, but two buildings in town, including our Town Hall. Next time you’re in there, give some thought to how lucky we are to have it.
