September 4, 2020
The former home of the Robert Moxley Band at 335 North Jonathan Street in Hagerstown, Maryland, leaning to the right – in structure not in politics – has been judged beyond repair and has been condemned to destruction. It is one of the last links to an important story in Black history from the area during the War Between the States.
Robert Moxley, who led the No. 1 Brigade Band of U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, never lived in the house. His son, Edgar, purchased the lot and built the house. On its first floor was a practice room for the Robert Moxley Band. But I am ahead of the story.
In 1854, Robert Moxley, a slave living in Hagerstown, formed a band with his brothers Joseph and Perry, who were also slaves. Robert was a superb musician, and he gathered around him a collection of other slaves to form this primarily cornet and drum band.
In 1863, a United States recruiting officer heard the Moxley Band play, and was so impressed he asked the band to enlist for three years. He offered them their immediate freedom in return. On August 28, 1863, 11 of the original band members accepted the officer’s offer, and the band mustered into service on September 26.
As the first all-black recruiting band for the U.S. Colored Troops, it was designated the Band of the First Brigade. All the members were given the rank of private and were paid $10 a month. On February 26, 1864, the band was re-designated as the No. 1 Brigade Band, United States Colored Troops. They played in parades, reviews and ceremonies as ordered. They were also used for hazardous duty behind the lines.
After service in the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia in 1864, the band was transferred to the west and later was mustered out of service at Brownsville Texas in April, 1866. The band returned to Hagerstown. After Robert Moxley’s death, his son Edgar took over the band.
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| The band played regular Sunday concerts from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wheaton Park for many years. |
The inscription: Jacob Wheaton was born in Middletown, Maryland and moved to Hagerstown in the 1850s. He is believed to be the first African-American to vote in Maryland after the Civil War, voting in the Hagerstown Mayoral Election of 1868. In 1897, he became the first African-American to sit on a petit jury in the county. He was also the first African-American court officer in Washington county, serving as a bailiff from the 1890s to 1924. Wheaton was an advocate for the creation of a high school for African-American youth in Washington county. As a result, the first 12-year program diplomas were awarded at North Street School in 1928.
A related story: Although the number of people enslaved in Washington County was less than the counties farther to the east, it was an active slave market. Slave catchers would hunt runaway slaves and sell them at auction in Hagerstown. The old jail on Jonathan Street housed escaped slaves. The slave markets were located at the corners of Main Street and Church Street in Sharpsburg and on the Terrace in Hagerstown.
The marker above is from Sharpsburg. The inscription reads: “Old Slave Block. From 1800 to 1865, this stone was used as a slave auction block. It has been a famous landmark at this original location for over 150 years.”
You can see what appears to be BLM (Black Lives Matter) spray painted on the side. The damage was done in mid-June and the marker has been removed for cleaning and restoration. The Hagerstown Daily Mail reported that at a subsequent Sharpsburg town meeting, “It was decided ... to clean and restore the stone and to replace the plaque on the front of the stone with the correct history.” I have been unable to learn what is incorrect on the current plaque.
On Monday, the last story in this series: the consolidation of public schools in Washington County and its effect on “colored pupils.”
👉 And now as promised yesterday, on Etch-a-Sketch, and the original, and in parody – the most recognized painting in the world. The incredible thing about all of the Etch-a-Sketch pictures is they are drawn with one continuous line. Please forgive the number of parodies. There were hundreds, but I did narrow them down to an even dozen :-)
And the parodies.
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| Hair Curler Mona |
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| Snow White Mona |
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| Artist Mona |
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| Nurse Mona |
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| Elphaba Mona |
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| Selfie Mona |
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| The Purr-fect Mona |
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| Star Trek Mona (Warning! Red Uniform!) |
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| New York Yankee Mona (but she'd have to get a haircut – Yankee policy) |
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| Coronavirus Toilet Paper Hoarding Mona |
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| Marty Feldman Mona |
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| Mr. Bean Mona |
William Wilberforce, Christian statesman and abolitionist, led a fierce campaign in 19th century England to eradicate slavery from the British Empire. The geographical center of the campaign was a wealthy neighborhood in the south of London known as Clapham, where a group of Anglican evangelicals lived. The “Clapham Sect” also advocated prison reform, education for children, and the expansion of missionary efforts overseas. Though lampooned for their efforts, they changed the world.
Arabella Katherine Hankey was born into this environment in 1834. Early in life, Kate became involved in religious work, eventually developing a passion for foreign missions.
During the winter of 1865-1866, Kate, age 30, became seriously ill. The doctors ordered her to remain in bed for a full year. To occupy her time, Kate wrote a poem of 100 stanzas entitled “The Old, Old Story.” She began the first section, “The Story Wanted,” on January 29, 1866. Later that year, she wrote a second section entitled “The Story Told.”
The following year, 1867, at the international convention of the Young Men’s Christian Association, a speaker ended his sermon by quoting from Kate’s poem. Songwriter William Doane, in the crowd that day, put a portion of Kate’s poem to music, giving birth to the hymn “Tell Me the Old, Old Story.”
Another composer, William G. Fischer, set a second portion of Kate’s poem to a musical score, giving us, “I Love to Tell the Story.” It was first published in 1869, and was later popularized around the world in the great evangelistic campaigns of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey.
I love to tell the story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story
Because I know ‘tis true.
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story;
‘Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story
of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story,
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest.
And when in scenes of glory
I sing the new, new song,
‘Twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long.
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