Ellen Garrison: Concord’s Young 19th Century African Activist (Caesar Robbins’ Granddaughter)
Posted on | September 1, 2010 | No Comments
In 1835, Concord bicentennial was held, and the night before, the teacher of public school asked all the children who wanted to walk in the procession to stand. “All arose but one colored girl, a good scholar, and belonging to a respectable family. The teacher asked her if she would not like to go. She said, No; — that on some former occasion, she had been ill-treated and crowded out of the procession, and her mother said she should never go again. And besides, she said, no one would walk with her. – Thereupon, Abba Prescott, only nine years old, arose in her seat, and said, ‘She would walk with her, — she was as willing to walk with her as with any one.’ The teacher said, ‘perhaps your mother will not be willing.’ She answered with spirit, ‘I know she will.’ She did not misconceive her mother. From her she had derived that spirit both by nature and culture. The colored girl said her mother would not consent. She proposed to go and persuade her, which she did. And notwithstanding the incredulous gaze of the school, which seemed to say, When the trial comes you will retract… yet on the morrow she appeared in the procession holding the colored girl by the hand, and went with her in the procession, and into the church and through the day, beneath the gaze of curiosity, surprise, ridicule, and admiration.”
The little girl was Ellen Garrison, age 13, Caesar Robbins granddaughter, who was attending the grammar school in the center of town in the fall session ending November 30, 1835 (as she had the previous year). Her name appears on the school register kept by the teacher. So, too, does the name of ten-year-old Abigail M. W. Prescott, the daughter of the onetime merchant and politician Timothy Prescott and his wife Maria, and the future bride of George M. Brooks. The two were classmates at the time, and undoubtedly, Abigail Prescott and Ellen Garrison marched together into the meeting-house for the celebration.
- Maria K. Prescott became actively engaged in the Concord Female Antislavery Society, CFASS, launched in the fall of 1837, after the abolitionist lecturer Angelina Grimke and her sister Sarah spoke in town.
Two months after the CFASS was founded, the society met “at Mrs. [Susan] Garrison’s home.” We know this because Timothy Prescott made a note about the meeting in his daily diary. It is a simple record, no different from his other entries, put down on paper without comment. But how fitting that the husband of Maria and father of Abigail should be our source? And how interesting that the Garrisons’ signing over their right to the house provided by Humphrey Barrett five months’ earlier did not deter the ladies of the anti-slavery society from holding their meeting!
- Susan Garrison subscribed to petitions calling for end to slavery in DC and to slave trade, 1838; opposing annexation of Texas, 1838; and denouncing removal of the Cherokees from Georgia.
- Ellen Garrison, age 15, signed petition on behalf of the Cherokees! She lived up to her surname, identifying strongly with the radical abolitionists led by Garrison and Wendell Phillips. In 1847 she signed onto petition, headed by William Whiting, calling for Massachusetts to withdraw from the Union. (It had 92 signatures.)
DGP Agenda – September 1 2010
Posted on | September 1, 2010 | No Comments
DGP Meeting September 1st, 20107 pm, The Thoreau Birth House
Agenda (pdf)
Letter of Support from the Thoreau Society
Posted on | August 11, 2010 | Comments Off
The Thoreau Society enthusiastically supports the Drinking Gourd Project’s proposal to place engraved stone benches in historic Walden Woods to mark the homes of three former slaves who lived there.
Read the letter of endorsement (pdf)
Read additional letters of support
DGP Minutes, July 14th 2010
Posted on | August 1, 2010 | Comments Off
DGP Minutes 7/14/2010Hunt Rec Meeting Room, 7 pm
Present: Polly Attwood, Maria Madison, Liz Clayton, Donna Thomas, Larry Sorli, Ronni Olitsky, Laura Davidian, Lorell Gifford
1. Introductions
2. Approve Minutes
3. New Member update: Bob Gross, Historian; Linda Ziemba, installations; John Butman, Documentary publisher
4. Governance update: need volunteers. Liz will oversee governance group. Oversight of DGP bylaws and minutes, articles of incorporation. Homework: Read the bylaws for next meeting.
5. Budget/Treasurers report (attached): Donation account 25,000, 10,000 matched by Bill Barber once we get to 20,000 individual donations plus CPC money 60,000 = approx 100,000 budget for one year. Taxes are due in November for 2009/2010.
6. RHEC subcommittee: Maria is chair; Liz will cover as chair while Maria is out of town.
- Larry and Laura met with Johanna and Mark. The Boyntons will take care of oil tanks and cement patio disposal. We need to go before planning board together (with boyntons) for permits, etc.
– The DIG. Mass Historic Commission needs to aprove permit for dig; we are almost set (needs the MOA between National Park and Town/Chris Whelan, then they will stake and stump(?) the site.
- National Landmark Status… Larry found the front door is Hutchinson-era original and the original clapboards are beneath the existing. Discussion of what gets moved; Possibly create a vestibule at the new site on the back side.
- Movers/Consultants – a priority is to get permits (use Harrington) to go before planning board, board of appeals, historic commission. We need a site plan with parking, lighting plan, handicap capability, utility, water, etc.
- Bob Gross will speak at August 4th meeting at Thoreau Birth House. ROnni will organize event, Liz will invite guests.
- Signage – Donna will create sign with text along these lines “Future site of the Caesar Robbins House Education Center”
7. Commemoration subcommittee: (Liz, and Polly)
- Elise Lemire met with Thoreau Society; they will write a letter of support for the project. John Kerry wrote a letter of support. Question about including the Susan Garrison/hosting a meeting… is this revisionist history?
- CPC meeting MOnday night; will they grant us $$ for boulders and benches?
- What do we want written on the markers? Liz and Polly will go over language
- Update on Toni Morrison; we have been granted a bench, now we need a donor ($$$)
8. Programming
- Metco tour went well
- Bike tour is on 7./15 with Sue Merlino
- Belmont Day tour went well
- United Women’s Club will host DGP presentation on 10/21/2010; 12:00 lunch; 1:45-2:30 program. Polly will head up this event and Ronni might be able to share responsibility.
9. Media
- Documentary/Book: John Butman consulted with DGP about Documentary project. “How you get an historic house restored, moved, and converted to an educational center.” Included ideas: video inverviews; still shots; installation; publish a book (revise Concord and it’s Black history with a timeline, corrections, and new information.
- Northbridge Magazine is diong an article on DGP project. They interviewed Polly, spoke with Maria, and will spead with Dr. Gross
- Concord Bookshop window August 23rd. We mostly declined this opportunity in favor of a better Date. Liz may follow up and scramble to fill the window but we are limited by lack of Bookstore inventory/support.
- Create an HRC media packet and put it on the Website
- We need a Document Repository (rather than all docs online). Thoreau Birth House has a closet available
10. Fundraising
- Polly/Liz/Maria will circulate a tracking sheet with grant info
- Mass Cultural Council has October Deadline; submit
- Rotary club would like to donate for a specific purpose (i.e. book). John Butman and Mike Sugarman both have ideas for book development
- Ann Forbes is working and on track
11. Next Meeting(s)
- 8/4/2010 7 pm Thoreau Birth House; Bob Gross presentation
- 8/11/2010 6 pm John Butman’s office 37 Main Street, with Bestor from Northern Lights
- 8/18/2010 7 pm Hunt Gym; Regular DGP meeting
- 9/14/2010 meeting with Steve Moga (Circuit Rider)
- 9/16/2010 meeting with Boyntons
Minutes submitted by Lorell Gifford Ambrose
DGP Agenda, July 14th 2010
Posted on | July 12, 2010 | Comments Off
Drinking Gourd Project
Meeting, July 14, 2010
7-9pm Location: Hunt Recreation
Agenda
|
Time (min) |
Subject |
Discussion Points |
Attachment |
Volunteers Needed? |
|
10 |
Welcome |
? Introductions/Agenda Review/Approval
? Assign Note Taker/Time Keeper ? Review/Approve Minutes |
N N Y |
Y Y |
|
20 |
Subcommittee: Governance [Chair: TBN] |
? Subcommittee Mission
? DGP Mission/Goals/Strategy ? DGP Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation ? New Members/Consultants ? Budget ? Treasurers Report |
N Y Y Y N |
Y N Y N Y |
|
20 |
Subcommittee: RHEC [Chair: MM] |
? 324 Bedford St. Update: Larry S./Laura D.
? Move – TBN ? Monument St.: MM
? T-Shirts: Ronnie/ ? Fixtures/Retrieval/Storage & Sales: Ronnie |
N N N N N N |
Y Y Y Y Y Y |
|
15 |
Subcommittee: Commemoration [Chairs: LC/MM] |
? Bench/Boulders: Walden Woods
? RHEC Bench |
N N |
N N |
|
10 |
Subcommittee: Programming [Chair: TBN] |
? June: Belmont Day/Metco Dir.: Polly/Liz
? Future: Bike Tours: Liz ? Others Forthcoming: Polly |
N N N |
Y Y Y |
|
20 |
Subcommittee Media [Chair: Lorell] |
? Web
? Maps ? DocBook ? Other (Concord Bookshop?/HRC award packet/375th Bday Article] |
N N N N |
N N Y Y |
|
10 |
Subcommittee Fundraising/Grants [Chair: Polly] |
? Tracking Sheet
? CPC [7/19]
? Fundraising Letter: Polly ? Other/Anne Forbes – National Register |
Y N N Y N N |
Y Y Y Y Y N |
|
10 |
Closure |
? Questions/Requests
? Next Meetings/Dates & Locations |
8/4 DGP HR 8/11 J.Butman 8/18 DGP HR 9/16 Boyntons @TBH |
|
|
|
|
|
|
DGP Minutes, June 30th 2010
Posted on | July 12, 2010 | Comments Off
The Drinking Gourd Project
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Minutes
Present: Maria Madison, President; Lorell Gifford; Polly Attwood.
DGP Volunteer: Ronni Olitsky; John Butman was unavailable to meet tonight.
The agenda was approved unanimously.
{Ronni Olitsky is considering becoming a member of the DGP and has kindly volunteered her assistance with various activities. Maria described the process: There will be a general membership of people who are interested in supporting or working on the various sub-committees. At the DGP Annual meeting, the Board will consider adding new members to the Board, and will review all those who have been working on the sub-committees, and a Nomination committee will forward names for consideration.}
The DGP Board voted unanimously to schedule the first Annual Meeting for the first meeting in January 2011, the anniversary of the Project’s official ‘birth’.
The 6 Subcommittee Updates:
Governance (Chair TBN): there was a brief discussion of the Facilitation process and the outcome of those sessions.
*we need to focus on clarity of DGP mission, as well as clarity in process and in orientation of any new members;
*our mission statement should be one sentence, with our goals and strategies as a description of how we plan to achieve our mission;
* the strategies/goals conform to the sub-committees that we set up:
>>Governance
>>Robbins House Educational Center
>>Commemoration of individuals (early African residents honored) in Concord
>>Programming
>>Media/Publicity
>>Fundraising
[The order by which the groups reviews these subcommittee updates will change each week so that no group gets routinely ‘cut-off’ at the end of the two hour time limit..]
? We are in the process of recruiting interested people to work on the sub-committee tasks, under the leadership of a Board member.
? Current Board members were asked to review the By-Laws, and we will prepare packets that include the mission and goals of the Group, the By-Laws, Articles of Incorporation. This would then be available to prospective new members.
? Budget: Liz Clayton is the Acting Treasurer, with some help from Dave Asadoorian. Tax filing is due for the fiscal year that just ended in June, 2010, on November 15th. There are two streams of payment – any expenses incurred in the process of moving the Robbins House will be invoiced to the Town Manager. Other DGP expenses will be paid from our Bank account. The DGP is looking into whether Larry Sorli, the Preservation Architect, can submit bills directly to the CPC, through Lara Kritzer.
? Polly informed the DGP that they owe the HRC $873.93 for printing and copying expenses that were paid by the HRC on behalf of the DGP.
? Insurance: Polly is in touch with Nancy James Insurance Agency to investigate the costs of a) liability insurance for the Corporation, and b) for insurance for the Robins House to be in place as soon as it handed over to us formally. She is also checking with the McWalter Insurance Agency to make sure that no commitment was made to the about our insurance requirements. Need to check with Larry about what kind/extent of insurance we will need for the house. The Board voted unanimously their preference for using a women or minority-owned business where possible.
? We now have a Post Office Box – #506 – it is included on our new maps and on the website.
Media (Chair – Lorell Gifford)
? We discussed the issue of a documentary to capture the process of preserving/restoring, moving and adapting the Robbins House into an Educational Center (including documentation of the archeological work at the new site). John Butman is interested in heading up that effort, and several names have surfaced of people who would like to be involved in that effort – Kelly Goode, Ronni Olitsky, Sara Smith, Linda Ziemba. Members will meet with John, and then see where volunteers can assist. We need videography as well as still photos, and the photography needs to start very soon, as the archeologist will be starting the exploration of the future site very soon. Larry is already going through the house with potential contractors, and is preparing a Scope of Work document for our review.
? Our official documents are posted on the website. We will keep binders for them, as well as for the Treasurer, to include financial statements, contracts, invoices, etc.
? We have received the new batch of maps, dated 6/10.
? We have also received an impressive list of the CPC requirements on the use of the funds they have voted for us.
? The Board voted not to pursue the July Bookstore window display, as there is too little time to arrange a suitable display. The DGP will have a presence at the July 4th Picnic in the Park.
? The Boyntons are making a sign advertising their part of the Robbins House project – it will be placed at the current house site. The Board voted to design a sign for the DGP to be placed at the future house site.
Fundraising (Chair – Polly Attwood)
? A letter will go out to our supporters in early September, updating our accomplishments to date, and clarifying continuing need for funds and support. We are asking Senator John Kerry for a Letter of Support that we can use to accompany any grants we are applying for. It was suggested that we request the same from other individuals, i.e., Scott Brown, Michelle Obama, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Henry Louis Gates.
? The CPC grant application is due in early September. Ann Forbes is pursuing our eligibility potential for the National Register of Historic Houses, which would make us more eligible for many other grants. This investigation will cost us $500.00, and if successful another $1300.00 to $1500.00 to apply for inclusion. She is checking on provenance and history from Primary Sources.
? We will publish a newsletter for our supporters, but not until January. It will include updates on all our activities, not just the Robbins House.
Programming (Chair: TBN) …
? Polly has found many wonderful groups requesting DGP Tours. In June these tours included The Metco Directors and Belmont Day Educators. Liz is linking up with Sue Merlino of Concord Bike Tours to establish the DGP Bike Tour. Lorell has linked the Bike Tours officially to the DGP Web site.
Commemoration (Chair: Liz)
? Walter Brain says he knows where the original site of the Robbins House is – we are planning to mark it with a granite Boulder and inscription. We have been approved by the Toni Morrison group for a bench to be placed outside the Robbins House, it will cost between $3,500.00 – $4,500.00, and we are prospecting for likely donors. We are planning to place benches or boulders marking many of the sites of early African residents’ homes, as well as to place a marker on Peter Hutchinson’s grave.
Robbins House Educational Center (Chair: Maria)
? The Robbins House: Larry is working on the floorplan and eventual house footprint to select what will be removed, and what will be preserves and moved. Stamsky and McNary (sp ?) would be able to construct the foundation plus other portions of the work. We are waiting for bids to come in for each part of the project, which will be overseen carefully by Larry. The CPC will see the statements and Scopes of Work.
? Marty Dudek, the archeologist is liaising with Shirley Blancke about her discoveries around the home site. There will be a Memorandum of Agreement between Marcia Rasmussen and Chris Whelan before the move can take place.
? Ronnie is investigating the potential to auction fixtures from the newer part of the Robbins House.
Submitted by:
Polly Attwood
7/5.2010
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