Historian
Some powerful myths have long dominated thinking about the history of slavery in western Maryland (and especially Washington County). When I start to talk about slavery with people who live here, or when I read what’s been …
Continue Reading about Seven Myths about Slavery in Western Maryland
Over the past decade, many colleges and universities in the U.S. have faced, with varying degrees of openness, the truth about their slave history. Like every institution with roots very far back in American history, higher …
Continue Reading about Slavery and the Roots of Hood College
Fountain Rock was a plantation about six miles south of Hagerstown, Maryland, from 1792 to 1825. In the antebellum years, the same site was home to the College of St. James (1841-1864), forerunner of today’s St. James School. …
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Posted Feb. 3, 2020 at LocalDVM.com By Caroline Morse HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WDVM)– In honor of Black History Month, Washington County residents reflect on the lives of African-American men and women during the Civil …
Every “runaway” slave advertisement tells a story. No life story is ever complete, but as historians we try to piece together the evidence of past lives and tell the stories of people who can no longer speak for themselves. …
Continue Reading about David Davis, Enslaved Blacksmith and Resister
Published May 6, 2019, The Frederick News-Post Thank you for publishing Wyatt Massey’s piece on April 22. It’s long past time for Frederick County Public Schools to take seriously the message they send to students who …
Continue Reading about Letter to the Editor: Thomas Johnson not appropriate for a school’s name
