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Black Walden Black Walden Slavery and Its Aermath in Concord, Massachusetts Elise Lemire Universit y of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia Copyright©2009eliselemire allrightsreserved.exceptforbriefquotationsusedforpurposesofreviewor scholarlycitation,noneofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformbyanymeans withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher. Publishedby UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104-4112 PrintedintheUnitedstatesofamericaonacid-freepaper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 libraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData lemire,elise. BlackWalden:slaveryanditsaermathinConcord,Massachusetts/eliselemire. p.cm. includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. isBn978-0-8122-4180-8(alk.paper) 1. slavery—Massachusetts—Concord—History.2. slaves—Massachusetts—Concord— socialconditions.3. Concord(Mass.)—socialconditions—18thcentury.4. oreau,Henry David,1817–1862.Walden i.title. f74.C8l462009 974.44--dc22 2009001010 For my parents, Robert and Virginia Lemire (cid:1) eAStoFMybeAn-FIeLd,acrosstheroad,livedCatoIngraham,slave ofduncanIngraham,esquire,gentlemanofConcordvillage;whobuilt hisslaveahouse,andgavehimpermissiontoliveinWaldenWoods;— Cato,notUticensis,butConcordiensis.SomesaythathewasaGuinea negro.ereareafewwhorememberhislittlepatchamongthewalnuts, whichheletgrowuptillheshouldbeoldandneedthem;butayounger and whiter speculator got them at last. He too, however, occupies an equallynarrowhouseatpresent.Cato’shalf-obliteratedcellarholestillre- mains,thoughknowntofew,beingconcealedomthetravellerbyainge ofpines.Itisnowfilledwiththesmoothsumach(rhusglabra,)andone oftheearliestspeciesofgolden-rod(solidagostricta)growsthereluxuri- antly. Here,bytheverycornerofmyfield,stillnearertotown,Zilpha,acol- oredwoman,hadherlittlehouse,whereshespunlinenforthetownsfolk, makingtheWaldenWoodsringwithhershrillsinging,forshehadaloud andnotablevoice.Atlength,inthewarof1812,herdwellingwasseton firebyenglishsoldiers,prisonersonparole,whenshewasaway,andher catanddogandhenswereallburneduptogether.Sheledahardlife,and somewhatinhumane.oneoldequenterofthesewoodsremembers,that ashepassedherhouseonenoonheheardhermutteringtoherselfover hergurglingpot,—“yeareallbones,bones!”Ihaveseenbricksamid theoakcopsethere. downtheroad,ontherighthand,onbrister’sHill,livedbrister Freeman,“ahandynegro,”slaveofSquireCummingsonce,—there wheregrowstilltheapple-treeswhichbristerplantedandtended;large oldtreesnow,buttheiruitstillwildandciderishtomytaste.notlong sinceIreadhisepitaphintheoldLincolnburying-ground,alittleonone side,neartheunmarkedgravesofsomebritishgrenadierswhofellinthe retreatomConcord,—whereheisstyled“Sippiobrister,”—Scipio Aicanushehadsometitletobecalled,—“amanofcolor,”asifhewere discolored.Italsotoldme,withstaringemphasis,whenhedied;which wasbutanindirectwayofinformingmethatheeverlived.Withhim dweltFenda,hishospitablewife,whotoldfortunes,yetpleasantly,— large,round,andblack,blackerthananyofthechildrenofnight,sucha duskyorbasneverroseonConcordbeforeorsince. —HenryDaviDtHoreaU,Walden(1854) Contents introduction eMemoryofeseHumaninhabitants 1 Chapter1 squireCuming 15 Chapter2 eCodmanPlace 41 Chapter3 BritishGrenadiers 70 Chapter4 elastoftheraceDeparted 91 Chapter5 PermissiontoliveinWaldenWoods 112 Chapter6 littleGardensandDwellings 128 Chapter7 ConcordKeepsitsGround 151 epilogue Bristerfreeman’sHill 175 DramatisPersonae 177 notes 183 Bibliography 211 index 221 acknowledgments 233