Brief discursive notes on Bishop A. W. Wayman’s dedication of Mechanic Street A.M.E. Church in Frostburg in 1886

Frostburg Mining Journal. August 14, 1886. p. 1.

To better understand the cross-connections and cross-associations of Frederick Douglass to Appalachian Maryland we must overturn as many stones as we can find.

The historic African Methodist Episcopal churches in Frederick City, Hagerstown, Cumberland and Frostburg all have direct or secondary connections to Douglass. We know that Douglass spoke to benefit the A.M.E. churches in Frederick City and Hagerstown, while we cannot yet confirm we suspect Douglass spoke in Frostburg to benefit the local A.M.E. church.

When pondering on the close knit connections between these communities and their respective A.M.E. churches, again and again, we come across the connections of the Wayman family.

Bishop Alexander Walker Wayman notes in his 1881 biography his frequent travels along the National Road from Baltimore City to outposts out West, including areas of Appalachian Maryland and their A.M.E. churches. Furthermore, Bishop Wayman’s brother, Robert Francis Wayman led several of these Appalachian Maryland churches. We believe Robert Francis Wayman’s pastorship of Bethel A.M.E. in Hagerstown was the reason for the 1884 “ghost visit” of FD to Hub City. Simply put, we believe FD agreed to speak in Hagerstown, again, in 1884 due to his connections and relationship with the Wayman family. In 1884 Rev. Robert Francis Wayman was leading Betel A.M.E. in Hagerstown.

According to an 1908 publication, History of African Methodism in Virginia, Rev. John Wesley Diggs,

” … was born in Frederick County, Md. Aug. 11, 1832. He joined the Virginia Conference May 10, 1867 at Richmond, and served in it fifteen years. He organized the following churches: Salem, Va., Max Meadow, Cave Spring, Rocky Mount, Danville, Lynchburg, Marian, Taylorsville, Trinity, Berkley, and served at Wytheville, Suffolk, Onancock. Built Diggs Chapel. He underwent many hardships: he transfered to the Baltimore Conference in 1882 and is now a superannuate in that Conference.”

Maryland’s At-Large, District Delegates & Alternatives to 1876 Republican National Convention; including Dr. Lewis Henry Steiner

Maryland’s Delegation to the 1876 Republican National Convention.

Lost in the popular mythology of Frederick Douglass is his status as an influential GOP party insider. FD attended every Republican National Convention between 1872 and 1892, often both addressing the convention floor and exerting considerable influence in the selection of a party nominee which needed the support of Black American party delegates. Douglass worked closely with members of Maryland’s delegation at the National Republican conventions to coalesce around a popular party nominee.

To better understand the connections and associations of Frederick Douglass to Applachian Maryland we must analyze the connections and associations of FD to the delegates from Appalachian Maryland who attended these GOP National Conventions from 1872 to 1892. 

Most notable among the 1876 GOP Maryland Delegates is Dr. Lewis Henry Steiner from Frederick City, representing Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. In April 1879 Marshal Douglass would share the stage with Dr. Lewis Henry Steiner in Frederick City at a beneficiary lecture for a local A.M.E. church.

Of further note, FD worked alongside and/or spoke alongside At-Large Delegate John L. Thomas, Jr. and District 1 Alternative James C. Mullikin during both public and private visits to his native state of Maryland.

SOURCE:

“Maryland.” Proceedings of the Republican national convention, held at Cincinnati, Ohio: June 14, 15, and 16, 1876; Officially reported by M. A. Clancy. p. 13 – 14.

“Fred Douglass in Hagerstown, Md.” Staunton Spectator (Staunton, Virginia). May 6, 1879.

“Fred Douglass in Hagerstown.” Staunton Spectator. May 6, 1879. p. 1.

Brief note on Frederick Douglass in Garrett County, Maryland

B & O train station in Oakland, Maryland was built in 1884.

In recent years I’ve presented on Frederick Douglass in Appalachian Maryland (Western Maryland) and Frederick Douglass in West Virginia at various locations in the Upper Potomac Highlands, including Cumberland, Maryland and Keyser, West Virginia.

During these presentations I’ve been asked if Frederick Douglass visited Garrett County for a speaking engagement or if he may have vacationed in Garrett County.

While I am unable to confirm that Douglass visited and/or spoke in Garrett County, Maryland – the state’s most westward county – the route of his railroad travels would have brought him directly through Garrett County on his ventures from Washington City out West to destinations such as Wheeling, Cincinnati, Chicago and elsewhere.

In the fall of 1884 Douglass spoke from the back of a railcar in Grafton, West Virginia while he awaited a connecting train to Cincinnati. To travel from Washington City to Grafton on the B & O, Douglass would have had to have traveled through Garrett County.

Did Frederick Douglass ever alight from the train and walk around Oakland? There are instances of Douglass stepping off a train and spending an hour or two in a town and then resuming his travels. Could Douglass have done this in Oakland?

When visiting Cumberland, Maryland for an Emancipation event in September 1879 Douglass stayed at the Queen City Hotel, owned by the B & O railroad. Is it possible that Douglass may have spent a night at the Deer Park Hotel? At this time these questions are guiding our research.

Advertisement in the Washington Bee from the late 1890s.

The Deer Park Hotel, established in 1873, was largely staffed by Black Americans from Washington City and Baltimore City. Close associates of Douglass such as Rev. Francis Grimke stayed at the Deer Park Hotel. Advertisements for the Deer Park Hotel appeared in the pages of the Washington Bee.

Additionally, we are working to confirm if any of the Douglass children may have visited Garrett County. During the lifetime of Frederick Douglass, Sr., the Douglass children summered and/or vacationed at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Could they have visited the Deer Park Hotel?

We plan to reach out to Garrett County Historical Society and other respective historical organizations to see what resources, such as vertical files, there may be to find. 

While Douglass traveled through Garrett County, Maryland on several occassions, we would be surprised to find that he spoke in the county. However, Douglass spoke in Frostburg in 1882 so it’s not improbable that he may have spoken in Oakland, Maryland either formally or informally.

The search for Frederick Douglass in Garrett County and Appalachian Maryland continues.

Alxender Baker Thomas; 1880 United States Census (Washington City)

Birth Name

Given Name: ALEXANDER / Surname: THOMAS

Race: Mulatto / Sex: Male / Age: 40

Census

Date: 1880 / Year: 1880

Place

State: District of Columbia / District: ED 27 / Township: Washington / County: Washington / Country: United States / Place: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Birth

Place: Maryland, United States

Additional Fields

Source Sheet Number: 97 / Marital Status: Married / Father’s Birth Place: Maryland, United States

Source Sheet Letter: C / External Line Number: 00048

External Repository Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

New Household Flag: / Occupation: Barber & Hair D.

Source Person Number: 0 / Source Volume: 1 / Mother’s Birth Place: Maryland, United States

Source Household Id: 8957616 / Relationship to Head: Head

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“United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPB8-Q89T : Fri Oct 20 02:27:30 UTC 2023), Entry for Mr Alexander Baker Thomas and Hattie Thomas, 18 Jan 1911.

print of Lloyd Lowndes, candidate for Maryland Governor, 1895 [Republican, October 24, 1895]

43rd Governor of Maryland, Lloyd Lowndes (1845 – 1905)

Sadly, Frederick Douglass did not live long enough to see the election of his friend Lloyd Lowndes and Maryland’s only Republican governor during the 1800s, and to-date the only state governor from Appalachian Maryland’s Allegany County.

SOURCE:

The Republican (Oakland, MD), October 24, 1895. p. 4.

“The War Still Goes On” Valley Register [Middletown, MD], cite ghost visit of Frederick Douglass to Frederick in August 1869

According to summary text from Crossroads of War:

“More about the rival emancipation celebrations, both to be held at Worman’s Woods on separate days, Frederick Douglass speaking at one, Judge [Hugh Lenox] Bond and Dr. Brown at the other.”

One of the more helpful resources is the Crossroads of War: Maryland and the Civil War databases maintained by the Maryland Civil War Heritage Authority and orginally compiled by local historians more than a decade ago.

We are thankful for this public resource and additional local history resources and collections that have been curated and devoted to the continued study of Appalachian Maryland.

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Source:

Crossroads of War

A discursive note on the 1869 ghost visit of Frederick Douglass to Frederick City and Henry Clay Naill of Maryland’s Republican Party

“Emancipation Meeting at Frederick, Md. Baltimore Sun, August 20, 1869. p. 4.

The discursiveness abides. When giving rudimentary attention to specifics of the ghost visit of Frederick Douglass to Frederick City in August 1869 we find reportage in the Baltimore Sun that Henry Clay Naill “explained” to gatherers that Frederick Douglass would be absent.

Closer inquiry reveals a more substantial series of connections and associations between Naill and Douglass over the years in the course of the contact zones of local, statewide and national Republican Party political organizing and canvassing.

The Maryland-born Nail served as provost marshal of Frederick County during the war and later filled public service positions in Frederick City following the war. Naill subsequently became a prominent member of the Republican Party in Frederick County and Maryland, delegate to the state house in Annapolis and presidential appointee as the Surveyor of the Port of Baltimore before his death in the early 20th century. Naill, alongside Fredericktonian Lewis Henry Steiner, was often discussed as a potential Republican candidate for Maryland’s 6th Congressional seat, as well Naill was specualted about as a potential gubernatorial candidate.

In newspaper profiles in the mid-1870s, it was reported that Naill “enjoys the unlimited confidence of Frederick Douglass and Professor John M. Langston.”

In searching for more local information about Naill we came across a singular mention of Naill in a substantive report compiled by retired National Park Service historian Dean Herrin on the subject of lynchings in Frederick County, Maryland.

We do not know Mr. Herrin particularly well but he has the unique personal distinction of attending one of the most memorable Frederick Douglass-themed walking tours I have ever led. Mr. Herrin has been working to uplift local history in the Frederick County area for many decades now. 

In Herrin’s article he mentions Henry Clay Naill’s reported comments to the Baltimore Sun in the wake of an 1887 extra-judicial murder in Frederick City.

Herrin writes on page 39: 

H. Clay Naill, the former Provost Marshal of Frederick during the Civil War, said in an interview with the Baltimore Sun that he was convinced the attack on Yeakle had been a case of mistaken identity, and he also was critical of Sheriff Derr: “It is folly, however, to say that any effort was made by the sheriff to protect his prisoner, for it was only seven minutes from the time of the arrival of the crowd at the jail until they had possession of their man.”

We humbly suggest if Mr. Herrin updates his lynching research paper he may want to included additional context regarding Naill and lynchings as it relates to public policy and/or comtemporary attempts at criminal justice reform. 

From what we discerne veteran Henry Clay Naill was an “ally,” to the cause, to use modern nomenclature. Interestingly, in 1896 Naill served as the secretary of the Maryland Delegation to the 1896 Republican National Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

As part of the 1896 Republican Party Platform, the GOP convention adopted the following resolution: “LYNCHINGS. We proclaim our unqualified condemnation of the uncivilized and barbarous practice, well known as lynching or killing of human beings suspected or charged with crime, without process of law.”

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* excerpt of Henry Clay Naill obituary as reported in Daily News (Frederick, Maryland), July 24, 1911.

Former Prominent Politician Expires at Age of 81.

WAS BORN IN THIS COUNTY Held Several Positions Here and Later Moved to Baltimore Where He Became Well Known Member of Maryland School Board. Capt. Henry Clay Nail, the friend of five presidents of the United States and once involvement in Maryland politics, Captain Naill was nursed through his last illness by Mrs. Elisabeth Ward whom he roomed of late years. At the time of his death a brother, Mr Jacob Naill was at his bedside. Captain Naill intered St. John’s College, from which he graduated with honors. For many years he was assistant clerk ol the Circuit Court of Frederick county and from 1861 was provost marshal of the county, which at thai time extended to the Potomac River near Washington. It was during these war times that he was wounded while guiding Cole’s cavalry against Mosby’ raiders, who came into Maryland for aging.

Member of Legislature. In 1873 he was elected to the Maryland Legislature and was the Republican leader of the House. It was while a member of the Legislature that the Maryland School for the Deaf received its charter, and he was appointed a member of the board of directors, on which he served for 40 years. Later he was appointed surveyor of the port of Baltimore by President Arthur. During his public life Captain Naill often met the presidents. He could tell many stories of his experiences and meetings with Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Garfield, Arthur and McKinley.

Frederick Douglass “ghost visit” to Hagerstown in 1884 noted by Frederick City daily

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“Didn’t Arrive.” Daily News. (Frederick, Maryland.) February 6, 1884. p. 4.

Star Democrat, “Douglass mural gets community talking” [Tom McCall, December 10, 2023]

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EASTON — The hip hop Frederick Douglass mural still stands after some factions complained to the Town Council that it was blasphemy to their family.

Others thought it was a cool new spin for this historical figure. What is the direction forward for these factions? This tempest has garnered attention from the Washington Post to National Public Radio.

Public art of this magnitude reaches into lots of avenues, like history, art, community and the process to protest something that some find disrespectful.

The art and the discussion surrounding it are about a famous Black man, who was fierce like a warrior. He changed U.S. history after starting life as a slave in Talbot County.

Is art just art, totally subjective and open to a thousand interpretations? Or is this a cultural artifact owned by its family of origin?

Richard Marks of Dock Street Foundation, which financially backed the mural, said “the overwhelming feedback has been extremely positive.”

He said that he and his wife, Amy Haines, have owned the building now bearing the controversial depiction of Douglass for seven years, and for seven years they had talked about putting a mural on it.

“There are posters for sale at Vintage Books with the proceeds going to benefit the Frederick Douglass Honor Society Scholarship Fund. We hope that it promotes Frederick Douglass as our native son,” Marks said. “That more people are aware that he was from here. That more people get involved in knowing about him and his legacy. Hopefully it creates some good discussion. Amy and I think the community needs more public art.”

Adam Himoff is the Utah-based artist who created the mural. He talked about the posture that he put Douglass in, which drew criticism from some members of the community.

“I didn’t mean it as a prison crouch. I think it was a hip, cool position reminiscent of hip hop culture. It was part of the effort to bring him into the modern age,” Himoff said. “The intent was to have him engaging the viewer like he does in his photographs. The crouch was meant to be mentor-like or engaging the viewer in a closer way.”

He asked a broader historical question.

“What is the unfinished work of deconstructing slavery in the United States? If Frederick Douglass was alive today, what would be the work that he would do today to make this a better place?” Himoff said.

The art and the discussion surrounding it are about a famous Black man, who was fierce like a warrior. He changed U.S. history after starting life as a slave in Talbot County.

There have been reactions to the mural even since it was only a foot tall.

“I loved the portrait from the very first time I saw it. It wasn’t a mural when I first saw it. It was just in a frame. I thought, ‘Wow this is the 21st century Frederick Douglass,’” said Harriette Lowery, a community activist. “I know young people will relate to this. Part of the mission of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society is to educate. This drawing will draw young people in to finding out more about him.”

She had seen it with her own eyes.

“I have experienced this several times since the mural is up,” Lowery said. “Young people, I have stood at the mural hearing them have discussions on it. That lights my heart up.”

She said that art is in the eyes of the beholder and that discussions about art are a beautiful thing. Thought and learning — that is what the mural does.

“I love the good conversations around it. Sensible, intelligent conversation,” she said. “I am not even saying that I am right. I am just telling you how I feel about it.”

One resident, Kentavius Jones, said he sees both sides of the mural’s reception.

“Two things are clashing here. History and art and also perception,” he said. “If it were a different artist, would it be this much of an issue? And I ask what was the process for approval? Does that process need to change? If folks are unhappy and they don’t want it to happen in the future, then we should be looking at policy around public displays of art. How free is freedom of expression? How much liberty is in there?”

A leader in the opposition to the mural’s location and content is Tarence Bailey. He is a direct descendant, the fifth great-nephew, of Frederick Douglass. This was personal for him.

Douglass was born as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, later changing his surname to Douglass after escaping slavery and becoming a free man.

“If a kid looks at that and then reads the book, the book does not match that. Our ancestors have done so many great things that you don’t have to lie or ad lib in the narrative. You don’t have to lie to bring someone’s greatness to the forefront. It diminishes it,” Bailey said.

Bailey said that there was tension between the Frederick Douglass Honor Society and the descendants in the Bailey family. He asked who gets to control the image and story? Who gets to profit off it? He said there was a lot of information that only the Bailey family has.

“The Baileys have been enslaved in Talbot County longer than we have been free. And then we can’t have a say so when (it’s) one of our family members who was a fellow slave. Even if it is other Black faces, they know better. If that mural had been in Cambridge, whatever building it was attached to would be set on fire. There is a different culture over there when it comes to ancestors,” Bailey said.

Bailey described how he would like to see Douglass represented in modern contexts.

“It would be as a stately gentleman in a Brooks Brothers suit in regular shoes. Just the way he dressed back then, but with a modern flare. If he were alive today, he would probably be a spokesman for Brooks Brothers. And Brooks Brothers does not do the hip hop,” Bailey said.

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Excerpted from full Star Democrat article *HERE*