Last updated: April 13, 2021
Article
The Unsung Heroes of Essex County
Essex NHA/ NPS
On Sunday, March 28, Essex National Heritage Area and the National Park Service co-hosted “Unsung Heroes: Black Women’s History in Essex County”. The virtual event presented research from a project funded by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) and included the work of two local leading scholars in United States history, women’s and gender studies, race and ethnicity, and social justice.
“Black women built lives, careers, and families; fought for change; survived and resisted oppression in a myriad of ways; and spoke out boldly for themselves and others. In this virtual presentation, learn about the impetus behind the project, what they have learned, and how locals, organizations, and institutions can honor the stories of Black women in Essex County,” according to Salem Maritime National Historic Site’s description of the event.
Unsung Heroes was organized by Ryan Conary and Cheri Grishin of Essex NHA and Maryann Zujewski, Education Specialist at Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites—two NPS units within Essex NHA—as part of the ongoing celebration of Women’s History Month. The event featured two speakers: Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, Associate Professor of American Studies and Faculty Fellow for Equity and Inclusion at the University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Chair and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Salem State University whose scholarship spans “ethnic and immigrant studies/literature, gender studies, cultural geography, service-learning, social and cultural history and social justice”.
"It has been wonderful to see such strong interest in this work on African American history in Essex County. We hope our research catalyzes a county-wide collaboration that centers these stories on the landscape and in the cultural heritage sites of the region," said Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Duclos-Orsello.
According to information provided by Salem Maritime, Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Duclos-Orsello “have spent the past two years visiting historic repositories throughout Essex County to collect, compile, and catalog the rich history of African Americans in this area”. During the live event, Baumgartner and Duclos-Orsello were able to share with attendees a glimpse of their invaluable research, presenting snapshots of the lives of black women in the region, ranging from those enslaved in the 18th century to racial justice activists at Salem State University (then College) in the 1960s and 70s.
Annie Harris, Executive Director of Essex NHA, said the event and ongoing project are “exciting because the stories told in the Unsung Heroes event are specific to Essex County and not very well-known. Much of the information has only come to light thanks to a tremendous amount of research from the two scholars who are speaking at the event."
Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Dulclos-Orsello presented a look into the lives of several black women of 18th and 19th century Essex County. One story featured was Lucretia Thomas-Brown (1773-1857), an entrepreneur and tavern-keeper fondly known as “Aunt Cresey who served black and white Essex residents alike at her popular tavern on Gingerbread Hill in Marblehead, MA. Under Thomas-Brown’s stewardship, the tavern became a host for annual celebration of Negro Election Day, a festival typical in black New England of the time which developed into the contemporary Black Picnic Day celebrated in Salem. During the original festivities in Thomas-Brown’s time, black residents would come together to decide on representatives for their community and partake in festivities. Thomas-Brown is also thought to have invented a classic New England treat called the Joe Froggers rum-molasses cookie.
“Black women built lives, careers, and families; fought for change; survived and resisted oppression in a myriad of ways; and spoke out boldly for themselves and others. In this virtual presentation, learn about the impetus behind the project, what they have learned, and how locals, organizations, and institutions can honor the stories of Black women in Essex County,” according to Salem Maritime National Historic Site’s description of the event.
Unsung Heroes was organized by Ryan Conary and Cheri Grishin of Essex NHA and Maryann Zujewski, Education Specialist at Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites—two NPS units within Essex NHA—as part of the ongoing celebration of Women’s History Month. The event featured two speakers: Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, Associate Professor of American Studies and Faculty Fellow for Equity and Inclusion at the University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Chair and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Salem State University whose scholarship spans “ethnic and immigrant studies/literature, gender studies, cultural geography, service-learning, social and cultural history and social justice”.
"It has been wonderful to see such strong interest in this work on African American history in Essex County. We hope our research catalyzes a county-wide collaboration that centers these stories on the landscape and in the cultural heritage sites of the region," said Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Duclos-Orsello.
According to information provided by Salem Maritime, Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Duclos-Orsello “have spent the past two years visiting historic repositories throughout Essex County to collect, compile, and catalog the rich history of African Americans in this area”. During the live event, Baumgartner and Duclos-Orsello were able to share with attendees a glimpse of their invaluable research, presenting snapshots of the lives of black women in the region, ranging from those enslaved in the 18th century to racial justice activists at Salem State University (then College) in the 1960s and 70s.
Annie Harris, Executive Director of Essex NHA, said the event and ongoing project are “exciting because the stories told in the Unsung Heroes event are specific to Essex County and not very well-known. Much of the information has only come to light thanks to a tremendous amount of research from the two scholars who are speaking at the event."
Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Dulclos-Orsello presented a look into the lives of several black women of 18th and 19th century Essex County. One story featured was Lucretia Thomas-Brown (1773-1857), an entrepreneur and tavern-keeper fondly known as “Aunt Cresey who served black and white Essex residents alike at her popular tavern on Gingerbread Hill in Marblehead, MA. Under Thomas-Brown’s stewardship, the tavern became a host for annual celebration of Negro Election Day, a festival typical in black New England of the time which developed into the contemporary Black Picnic Day celebrated in Salem. During the original festivities in Thomas-Brown’s time, black residents would come together to decide on representatives for their community and partake in festivities. Thomas-Brown is also thought to have invented a classic New England treat called the Joe Froggers rum-molasses cookie.
JoeFrogger/ Creative Commons by SA 3.0
The event and the culmination of the research project highlighted the tremendous work and collaboration of Dr. Baumgartner and Dr. Duclos-Orsello, with support from the Park and the Heritage Area. Their efforts also underscored the reality that black women’s history, especially that of early America, is difficult to research due to a lack of historical records and publications presenting black female voices. This can be attributed to the pervasive structural and misogynoir (a term coined by Moya Bailey) that has provided us with an incomplete historical record. The work by these scholars provides an important and impressive contribution to the public history of Essex County.
“Since we learned about this project, we have been surprised to see the incredible wealth of resources within Essex County related to the African American experience across four centuries, but also that there are large gaps in available resources for certain themes or time periods,” said Annie Harris.
The event and research on black women’s stories at Essex NHA are a reminder that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), marginalized identities, and voices previously not listened to need to be prioritized within women’s history and public history at large. Unsung Heroes was a terrific example of this important work. A recording of the entire presentation will be available soon on the Salem Maritime National Historic Site website.
“At Essex Heritage, it is our mission to preserve and enhance the unique characteristics of Essex County,” said Harris. “By advancing awareness of the diversity of our community, and highlighting the lesser known stories within the county, we are given an even more comprehensive perspective of the Essex National Heritage Area.”
“Since we learned about this project, we have been surprised to see the incredible wealth of resources within Essex County related to the African American experience across four centuries, but also that there are large gaps in available resources for certain themes or time periods,” said Annie Harris.
The event and research on black women’s stories at Essex NHA are a reminder that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), marginalized identities, and voices previously not listened to need to be prioritized within women’s history and public history at large. Unsung Heroes was a terrific example of this important work. A recording of the entire presentation will be available soon on the Salem Maritime National Historic Site website.
“At Essex Heritage, it is our mission to preserve and enhance the unique characteristics of Essex County,” said Harris. “By advancing awareness of the diversity of our community, and highlighting the lesser known stories within the county, we are given an even more comprehensive perspective of the Essex National Heritage Area.”