I want to take a break from the law and morality of Confederate flags and monuments and ask a question related to an African American lawyer who is a real hero of mine. Who lived in the house on the corner? (The other photos that I took, which look at the house straight-on might give this away too much, so I decided not to use them. If you want a hint, you can look at this photo.) I've gone by this house dozens of times and finally had a chance to stop and take a picture. I don't think it's making it too easy to say that I once lived on this street, some blocks away.
And happy first of July. For my part, I need this month to be a productive one. I'm expecting it to involve lots of work on eugenics, universities and slavery, and trusts and estates. Please don't laugh at my if at the end of this month that turns out to have been too ambitious.
I believe that's the Paul Robeson House on Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Posted by: Owen | July 01, 2015 at 03:04 AM
Owen, that is exactly right. As I understand it, he lived there for the last ten years of his life. He passed away in 1976.
One has to get up pretty early in the morning to top you, Owen. Nice work!
Posted by: Al Brophy | July 01, 2015 at 03:20 AM
Although he was born in New Jersey, Robeson had deep family ties to Philadelphia. His mother was descended from the first mayor of Philadelphia. Cyrus Busthill, his Quaker great-great grandfather, ran a school associated with the Free African Society (FAS founder Richard Allen also started the African Methodist Episcopal Church that Mother Emmanuel AME in Charleston affiliated with.) Robeson’s grandfather, Charles Hicks Bustill, was active in the Underground Railroad, as was Robeson's great uncle Joseph, who spent time in Harrisburg as a teacher and member of the city's fugitive slave society that operated out of the Tanners Alley community that is now part of the Capital Complex.
Posted by: cm | July 01, 2015 at 04:17 AM
You can also tell that it's the Paul Robeson house by the Paul Robeson sign out front in the picture...
Posted by: DC | July 01, 2015 at 09:19 AM
Maybe *you* can, DC. But my computer and/or eyesight aren't that good. Thanks for that information, cm.
Posted by: Al Brophy | July 01, 2015 at 09:29 AM
I didn't mean to suggest that Robeson's family connections "gave it away" for me. If you know enough(like Prof. Kerr and DC) the brain will definitively fill in the blurred pixels of the computer. If not, you can also check the clues from the Septa bus route info against a list of PA historical markers.
Posted by: cm | July 01, 2015 at 12:21 PM