>>> TONIGHT WE MARK BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH A LOOK BACK
AT THE VERY RICH, AMAZING STORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN OUR OWN
REGION.
CORRESPOND CAROLEE McGRATH SAT DOWN WITH REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE
EDITOR WAYNE FANNIVE, AND LU WAUNA HOOD TO LEARN ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF SLAVERY, THE FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT AND THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD.
>> THE FIRST BIG STORY THAT CAME OUT OF THIS GOES ALL THE WAY
BACK TO 1808, WHICH IS BEFORE THERE WAS AN UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD.
IN 1808, A WOMAN WHOSE NAME WAS JENNY HAD -- SHE WAS AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN, MARRIED A MAN IN SPRINGFIELD IN 1802.
THEY LIVED HERE, THEY HAD CHILDREN, THEY WERE WELL
RESPECTED.
THEY WERE MARRIED IN THE CHURCH, THE ONE THAT'S STILL THERE --
FIRST CHURCH.
>> EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL A MAN SHOWED UP FROM NEW YORK
STATE CLAIMING SHE WAS AN ESCAPED SLAVE AND WAS GOING TO
TAKE HER BACK BECAUSE IT WAS STILL SLAVERY WAS STILL LEGAL IN
NEW YORK AT THAT TIME.
IT HAD BEEN BANNED IN MASSACHUSETTS BY THEN.
AND HE HAD THE RIGHT TO DO THAT AT THAT TIME.
THE CITIZENS OF SPRINGFIELD GOT TOGETHER, PLAQUE AND WHITE, IN A
BIG MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD OFFER
THIS MAN WHATEVER HE WANTED TO BUY JENNY'S FREEDOM.
>> SITES IN SPRINGFIELD PEOPLE WOULD NOT EVEN REALIZE WERE
INVOLVED.
>> WE'LL TELL YOU ONE SITE, OKAY?
JOHN BROWN'S WAREHOUSE.
YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW WHERE THE FIRST WAREHOUSE WAS.
IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU WHERE YOU HAVE THAT BIG SATELLITE DISH.
THEN IN FRONT OF -- THE SECOND WAREHOUSE IN FRONT OF THE
MESSASOIC HOUSE WHICH WE TALK ABOUT AS THE HELP ODROAM.
RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
>> WHERE THE MAYFLOWER HOTEL WAS.
>> THAT BRINGS ME TO JOHN BROWN.
TELL US ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT HERE.
>> WELL, TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT LU WAUNA WAS SAYING, THE
SPRINGFIELD MUSEUM HAS JOHN BROWN'S DESK, WHICH WAS THIS
HUGE PIECE OF FURNITURE, BIG ENOUGH TO HIDE A PERSON IN.
AND HE WOULD HIDE ESCAPED SLAVES IN THERE AS THEY CAME OFF THE
RAILROAD, LITERALLY CAME OFF THE RAILROAD.
HE AND HIS LIEUTENANT, PERSON THAT WORKED FOR HIM, THOMAS
THOMAS, AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY, WORKED THERE.
THEY WOULD HIDE PEOPLE AND THEN HEAD THEM OFF TO SAFEHOUSES IN
THE CITY.
>> EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT JOHN BROWN TOO.
HE HAD A HUGE ROLE -- >> OF COURSE JOHN BROWN CAME TO
THE CITY IN 1946, STAYED UNTIL 1849.
HAD A WOOL BUSINESS.
THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE THE SLAVE POWER WAS COTTON POWER.
THIS WAS A FREEMAN EASTEX TILE WAS WOOL.
THAT'S WHAT HE WAS DEALING WITH.
HE LIVED IN THE COMMUNITY VERY CLOSE BY.
IN FACT -- >> WHAT STREET?
>> FRANKLY STREET.
JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF -- AND HE ALSO WAS A PARISHIONER AT THE
WESTERN MASS'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCH, THE
FREE CHURCH OR SANFORD STREET CHURCH, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHERE
THE MASS MUTUAL CENTER IS NOW, AND HE WAS A PARISHIONER, WENT
TO SERVICES THERE.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE FEW WHITE PEOPLE IN THE PARISH.
HE WAS VERY INFLUENCED BY REVEREND JOHN MARS, THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN PREACHER, WHO WAS A VERY INFLUENTIAL AND
VIRULENTLY ANTI-SLAVERY PREACHER.
HE HEARD HIS SERMONS ABOUT BEATING YOUR PLOW SHARES INTO
SWORDS TO FIGHT SLAVE POWER.
THAT IMPRESSED HIM.
WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT FREDERICK DOUGLASS, THE GREAT
ANTI-SLAVERY ABOLITIONIST AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEAD WHO ARE
CAME TO SPRINGFIELD AND MET WITH JOHN BROWN.
IN THAT MEETING CHANGED PERHAPS U.S. HISTORY BECAUSE FREDERICK
DOUGLASS WAS CONVINCED BY JOHN BROWN THAT THERE COULDN'T BE A
PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE SLAVE ISSUE.
>> THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A SERIES ON THIS COMING UP IN A
FEW WEEKS.
BUT I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR HOW INVOLVED HE WAS.
>> IN MY OPINION HE'S A GIANT IN THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
WHAT THEY DID WAS THE TOWN HAD -- WHEN THE SCHOOL MOVED FROM
MUNSON INTO WOHL VERY HAM AND THEY HAD DECIDED THEY WOULD
ALLOW AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO COME TO THE SCHOOL, THE WHOLE TOWN
GOT INVOLVED.
HENRY BIBB S WAS A RUNAWAY SLAVE.
HE HAD GONE UP TO CANADA.
THERE WAS A MAN IN WOLVERHAM, JOHNNIE COCHRAN LYNN, A SHOE
MERCHANT.
HE WAS SENDING MONEY INTO CANADA TO HELP HENRY BIGGS PUBLIC THE
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN UP IN CALLED THE FUGITIVE'S VOICE.
THE SCHOOL HAS A WHO'S WHO IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN THAT WOULD BLOW
YOUR MIND.
JAMES LINDSAY SMITH, A RUNAWAY WHO CAME TO SPRINGFIELD, PASTOR
OSGOOD.
HE MET MR.
ELMORE ACROSS THE STREET FROM GEORGETOWN BROWN'S
WAREHOUSE AND HE ACTUAL LIZ PUT HIM IN THE BACK ROOM SO NO ONE
WOULD KNOW HE WAS THERE AND HE WAS A SHOEMAKER BY TRADE, AND HE
DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO GO TO SCHOOL.
HE SAID, WOLVERHAM IS THE PLACE FOR YOU TO GO.
HE HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM HIS MOTHER.
HE WAS A SLAVE.
HE ENDED UP GOING TO SCHOOL THERE.
LO AND BEHOLD HE WAS A GREAT ORATOR.
[AUDIO NOT UNDERSTANDABLE] HE NEVER GOT THE NOTORIETY THAT
FREDERICK DOUGLASS GOT BUT HE WAS A GREAT ORATOR.
GUESS WHO COMES.
THE LITERALLY SOCIETY.
THEY COME AND ASK HIM TO GO BACK WITH THEM TO LONDON FOR SIX
MONTHS TO TALK ABOUT THE NEGRO PROBLEM IN AMERICA.
THEY PAY HIM $6,980.
THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY!
HE GOES TO LONDON, HE COMES BACK, AND HE COMES BACK TO
WOLVERHAM, MEETS HEAD MASS 2ER STILL, SAYS I WANT TO MEET MY
MOTHER.
FIND MY MOTHER FOR ME.
HE FINDS HER AND SHE TELLS HIM YOUR GRANDFATHER IS NAT TURNER.
>> THERE'S AMAZING HISTORY RIGHT HERE.
THANK YOU, WAYNE, LU WAUNA AND JOE, FOR COMING IN.
IT'S FASCINATING.
I DON'T THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS WAS INVOLVED IN BACK THEN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.