Last updated: June 8, 2024
Place
Tom
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Once you have reached the Point, look out towards the water.
In 1802, appraisers evaluated the estate of John Wager. Appraisers valued Tom, an enslaved ferryman, at $100—about $2,650 in today’s currency. The estate listed Tom for sale at auction alongside Wager’s other property.
Who would place the highest bid and determine Tom's fate?
None other than Tom himself. He placed the winning bid to ensure his own freedom. The description of his emancipation contained the following passage: "Tom, now aged 56 years or upwards, five feet eight and a half inches high, thin visage, and of a slender form, for upwards of twenty years a ferryman at Harpers Ferry, is now free and fully emancipated, having paid the amount of the sum for which he was sold at the auction." You stand near the location where Tom would have operated the ferry. Not only did Tom navigate these rough waters, but he also charted his course toward emancipation. How did he accomplish this? He skillfully navigated a young legal system, likely without the ability to read or write. He did not let anyone stop him, making strategic moves, while risking everything along the way. The risk proved worthwhile—the reward being his freedom. This may well be the very spot where he earned his money and conceived of his ingenious plan. This painting completed in 1795 may include Tom at work, on the ferry.
When was a time you believed in yourself, even when no one else did?
In 1802, appraisers evaluated the estate of John Wager. Appraisers valued Tom, an enslaved ferryman, at $100—about $2,650 in today’s currency. The estate listed Tom for sale at auction alongside Wager’s other property.
Who would place the highest bid and determine Tom's fate?
None other than Tom himself. He placed the winning bid to ensure his own freedom. The description of his emancipation contained the following passage: "Tom, now aged 56 years or upwards, five feet eight and a half inches high, thin visage, and of a slender form, for upwards of twenty years a ferryman at Harpers Ferry, is now free and fully emancipated, having paid the amount of the sum for which he was sold at the auction." You stand near the location where Tom would have operated the ferry. Not only did Tom navigate these rough waters, but he also charted his course toward emancipation. How did he accomplish this? He skillfully navigated a young legal system, likely without the ability to read or write. He did not let anyone stop him, making strategic moves, while risking everything along the way. The risk proved worthwhile—the reward being his freedom. This may well be the very spot where he earned his money and conceived of his ingenious plan. This painting completed in 1795 may include Tom at work, on the ferry.
When was a time you believed in yourself, even when no one else did?