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Associated Press
05-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
In photos, the remaining descendants of the last known slave ship hold memorial ceremony
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The remaining descendants of the last ship carrying enslaved Africans to land in the U.S. in 1860 met Saturday in Mobile, Alabama, for a memorial ceremony. Attendees, many of them dressed in white, gathered near Africatown Bridge on the banks of the river, where the ship remains submerged because it is too decayed to be extracted. Descendants say they are intent on ensuring the public never forgets what human beings endured during their two-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. 'The Clotilda history and the community that they built in Africatown is very much something that we honor, talk about, discuss, celebrate,' said Chanelle Blackwell, a ceremony organizer. The ship, known as the Clotilda, was discovered in 2019 in the murky waters of the Alabama Gulf Coast. But, more than 40 years ago, descendants of the 110 Africans who were ferried to American shores collectively founded a historical society to preserve the culture and heritage of the last Africans brought to America, and to ensure that future generations are aware of their ancestors and African history. Walter Jermaine Bell traveled to Mobile from Atlanta and laid down a ceremonial wreath at the event. He said he was honored and humbled to participate. 'Such a gratifying feeling, a redeeming feeling, to be able to do something to bridge the gap, not just for this group, but also for my kids who are present,' he said. 'I really wanted them to see and participate in this.' Historical records show that Africatown, formally known as Plateau, was bought by 32 of the freed survivors of the Clotilda after the Civil War, about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) north of Mobile. The Clotilda had been under a $1 million state-funded investigation to excavate and preserve the ship, to be brought on land, with the goal of turning it into a museum that could generate a much-needed amount of revenue for the Africatown community. A task force of archaeologists, engineers and historians, headed by the Alabama Historical Commission, recommended in a report that pillars be installed around the ship underwater to protect it from passing ships — an event they suspect caused the ship to break in half before it sank. Cherrelle Jefferson Smith attended the annual event for the first time. A resident of Africatown who moved to Mobile in 2014, she said 'it seems like I was meant to be here.' 'It was very sacred and personal, no matter if you're a descendant or not,' she said, adding that she was brought to tears by the event. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. ____ AP Race and Ethnicity reporter Jaylen Green reported from New York. Adrian Sainz contributed from Memphis, Tennessee.
Irish Times
24-06-2025
- Irish Times
Manhattan Transfer – Frank McNally on Skin-the-Goat Fitzharris in New York
Recent columns about James 'Skin the Goat' Fitzharris, cabdriver at the Phoenix Park murders of 1882, brought a letter from Jim Sutton of the New Ross Historical Society. He was recalling a story told by Andy Minihan, chairman of the local district council, who had global fame thrust upon him when hosting John F Kennedy's visit to New Ross in June 1963. Five months later, Minihan had the sad task of attending Kennedy's funeral, which involved first flying to New York. In a taxi from the airport there, he got chatting to the driver, a man with Wexford roots, and asked his name. 'Jim Fitzharris,' said the driver. 'Christ!' exclaimed Minihan, a student of history; 'Skin the Goat!' To which the driver replied: 'He was my great granduncle.' READ MORE Minihan was fascinated to discover that this Fitzharris, of three generations' descent, was also a cabdriver. He must also have been struck by the fact that it was another political assassination that brought them together. In any case, the story has since sent me down an archival rabbit hole wherein I learned that the original Skin-the-Goat made it to the Big Apple too once, briefly. That was in June 1900, not long after he had completed a 16-year jail sentence for his part in the 1882 conspiracy. Although in his late 60s by then, he was back in the job market. But whether he might have reinvented himself as a New York cabbie, we'll never know, because from the moment he landed on American soil, he was followed by the 1900 version of Donald Trump's ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, who ensured the visit would be a short one. Fitzharris's arrival at Queenstown (now Cobh) for the outbound trip, accompanied by another veteran of the Phoenix Park conspiracy, Joe Mullet, had caused consternation among their fellow passengers. 'Both arrived at Queenstown from Dublin last night by the midnight train,' reported the Kerry Sentinel of 26th May 1900; 'and they were scarcely out of the train when a number of persons formed groups and stared at the ex-prisoners in rather an unbecoming way.' The pair were undaunted by the attention. When one of the starers remarked that prison didn't seem to have taken much out of him, Fitzharris agreed. 'No,' he said. 'It wasn't a chicken they had when they had me.' As for Mullet, according to the Sentinel, he 'sang 'God Save Ireland' rather demonstratively' on his way to board the RMS Lucania. The cheerfulness did not survive New York, however. The two men spent the month of June there under house arrest. And despite political lobbying by Irish nationalist groups, both were then deported back to Queenstown. They were also charged for the privilege. By his own later account, Fitzharris faced a return to prison in Ireland if he didn't pay the fare for his deportation, which was raised by supporters in Dublin. Four years later, in another June, Skin-the-Goat makes an appearance in James Joyce's Ulysses. Or does he? We don't quite know because it happens in the Eumaeus episode, which is written in a clichéd, circumlocutory, adverb-infested style (as if Leopold Bloom or someone else of limited writing skill had taken over the narrative), wherein nothing is clear. Here's the relevant passage: Mr Bloom and Stephen entered the cabman's shelter, an unpretentious wooden structure, where, prior to then, he had rarely, if ever, been before; the former having previously whispered to the latter a few hints anent the keeper of it, said to be the once famous Skin-the-Goat, Fitzharris, the invincible, though he wouldn't vouch for the actual facts, which quite possibly there was not one vestige of truth in. But a few months after this return from New York, Fitzharris had given an interview with the Evening Herald newspaper, lamenting the lengths to which Dublin Castle was going to prevent him gaining employment. Back in Dublin in the summer of 1900, he had been offered a job by a 'car owner', dependent on renewal of his driving licence. With this aim, he secured a 'memorial influentially signed'. But the licence application was refused. After that, Fitzharris visited a brother in Widnes, reporting his arrival there to the police as he was required to do. While he was in England, a career in showbusiness briefly opened to him, as a guest in a Liverpool variety theatre. But his debut was ruined when a question arose as to whether he had reported himself to Liverpool police. This was another Dublin Castle 'dodge', he claimed, sufficient to sink his opening night. As for further appearances, the theatre was warned that those might have long-term implications for its licence. Giving up on England, Fitzharris then returned to Dublin and tried for a job with the corporation, only to be told there were no vacancies. Hence the occasion of his Evening Herald interview in December 1900, which was headlined: 'A Sad Story. 'Skin-the-Goat' in the South Dublin Union.' He had surrendered himself to the workhouse, where he would die 10 years later.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ida Lewis was once considered the bravest woman in America. Now she's being honored
NEWPORT – The late Idawalley (Ida) Zoradia Lewis was once considered the bravest woman in America and an icon of the women's rights movement, according to state Rep. Lauren H. Carson. Lewis, who died in 1911, called Newport her home, and this year, on Aug. 1, she will posthumously receive the Past Light Keeper Award from the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, New York, at the museum's annual gala. Carson said she was approached by two locals who asked that the state officially honor Lewis. Carson also attended a memorial ceremony for Lewis on May 24 at Common Ground Burial Ground. 'Obviously, she is a woman who made a huge contribution to safety and the city of Newport,' Carson said during a recent interview.. 'After attending that event and hearing about her life and accomplishments, I thought it would be important that the (state) House of Representatives should honor her life.' The Newport Historical Society website has images of Lewis and artifacts connected to her work. According to the NHS website, Lewis, in 1857 and at 15, unofficially took over duties as keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse from her father, who had recently suffered a stroke at that time. A year later, she recorded her first rescue when she saved four teenage boys from drowning after they accidentally overturned a boat they were sailing, according to the NHS website. In 1869, she made a rescue that drew national attention when she saved two soldiers from drowning in their attempt to return to Fort Adams. The city honored her two years later during the Independence Day celebration and presented her with a rowboat named Rescue. Carson's resolution won't be the first one the Rhode Island General Assembly has bestowed upon Lewis. The state first recognized Lewis' heroism with a resolution in 1869 for her Fort Adams rescue. According to the NHS website, Lewis is credited with making eight rescues and was 64 during her last one, only five years before her death in 1911. In total, she guarded Newport Harbor for 50 years. She is the namesake of the USCGC Ida Lewis and Lewis Drive in Arlington National Cemetery. And despite her prominence, she tried to live a quiet life, according to the NHS. Her bravery paved a trail for women over the coming century and decades, according to Carson. 'Ida Lewis was a luminary of her time who proved how strong and brave a woman could be. She became an icon of the women's rights movement, and her memory will always serve as a point of pride for Newport,' Carson said. The Newport Historical Society, in collaboration with the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary honored Lewis on May 24. The commemoration featured the placement of a bronze U.S. Lighthouse Service grave marker by the crew of the USCGC Ida Lewis. The U.S. Lighthouse Service, originating in 1789, was incorporated into the Coast Guard in 1939, according to a release from the NHS. "Ida Lewis was an ordinary person who, when faced with extraordinary circumstances, met the moment and showed that there is bravery in all of us,' said Rebecca Bertrand, executive director of the Newport Historical Society. 'Her story is very significant to Newport history. She was a lighthouse keeper who herself shines a light on why it is so important that people like her, their stories and the artifacts that capture them, are not lost to time," Rebecca Betrand, executive director of the Newport Historical Society. For a closer look at some of her artifacts, log on to This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: National Lighthouse Museum honors Ida Lewis with Past Light Keeper Award
Washington Post
03-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
North Dakota's historic sites will finally have toilets that flush
BISMARCK, N.D. — Lawrence Welk didn't have a flush toilet where he grew up, but visitors to his childhood home in rural North Dakota now do. The bandleader's childhood family home marks the latest step in the State Historical Society of North Dakota's nearly completed goal of installing flush toilets at its dozen most popular, staffed sites. The most recent success, with the final three planned to be completed soon, came before the unveiling of a statue of Welk at a site that draws fans who recall 'The Lawrence Welk Show,' which ran on TV for decades starting in the 1950s.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
McDonald County Historical Society Museum celebrates re-opening
PINEVILLE, Mo. — The McDonald County Historical Society Museum in Pineville celebrated its grand re-opening with a ribbon-cutting this morning. The public got a look at some big changes for the 2025 season. A new, $200,000 elevator was installed over the December to May off-season, opening up the second-floor courtroom and classroom to visitors who aren't able to use the stairs. Historical Society members tell us it's a game changer. 'There'd be a whole family would come in, but one or two members may not be able to make it to the second floor. And so it was fun to talk to them while we were downstairs. But providing access to everyone so that everyone can make it up here to the second floor and learn a little bit more about the history of the county to remember some of the veterans who served from the county. I think that's huge,' said Nick Graves, McDonald County Historical Society Board Chair. 'This is a very special day for us, and we're so happy that we're going to be able to show it off now to the rest of the community and our visitors who come,' said Robin Chapman, McDonald County Historical Society President. Alongside the new elevator, the museum also renovated its displays. Doors will be open from 10 to 2 every Saturday until the Christmas parade in December. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
