In December 1861, the Civil War was well underway. Both the Union and Confederate armies had marched into Washington County that summer, and western Marylanders were suffering from wartime shortages. African Americans hoped the war would bring freedom to the enslaved. But in 1861, the Union army was not in the business of freeing slaves. That time still lay in the future.
In Hagerstown, the members of Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church on Bethel Street planned to celebrate this first wartime Christmas with a “Religious Festival.” For this they sought and received permission from the town’s government.
The festival was a success, although we don’t know what it consisted of. Afterwards, the congregation published a notice of thanks in the Herald of Freedom and Torch Light in early January. They mentioned the “attention and patronage of the Military Department.” Soldiers were always looking for entertainment; apparently they found the A.M.E. festival a pleasant Christmastime diversion.
The ad (pictured below) also reminds us of the less happy side of living in Hagerstown as a black person in 1861. The congregation thanked local citizens “who protected us.” Had there been some trouble at the festival? Had white neighbors intervened on behalf of the church members? Or was the protection legal, or political? We may never know, but the reference reminds us of the precarious position that free blacks lived in, even as they celebrated Christmas at their own church.
I am transcribing some of the Hagerstown Ebenezer AME church documents and your research has helped me tremendously. Thank you!
I’m so glad the Ebenezer documents are being transcribed. Thank you for your kind words and for your work on them!
I am thankful and impressed by all you are doing and have done to provide such rich African American History to the mass. Your selfless dedication and hard work is greatly appreciated.
Aw, thank you. This work means a lot to me too.
Greetings Emilie, I have only met you once at your lecture at the Washington Historical Society a few months ago. Today, the Doleman Black Heritage Museum (Hagerstown, MD) is celebrating its second day of a two day event at University Park in honor or Juneteenth. As part of that celebration, we are having a “Character Fashion Show” today, at 3:00 p.m (6-17-23) and my character is from the research I found that you created on this web site about my church’s history. Thank you for keeping some African American history of Ebenezer A.M. E. Church alive for us in Hagerstown, Maryland and throughout the diaspora.
Sincerely,
Patricia Gaye Smart
Patricia, thank you for your gracious comment. I’m humbled to have contributed to your storytelling. Keep up the important work!
Sincerely,
Emilie