Liberated Landscape: Black Appalachian Ohio

friend of a friend someone had told you 10 miles up the road you may get some assistance best because you crossed the Ohio river did not mean you were safe because you could be kidnapped and taken [Applause] back you know we're very rural in Appalachia we're right located right along the Ohio river and Ohio bordered slave states so as far back as slavery when I can just imagine those people if I can just get over there meaning Ohio I'll be free there were runaways people were sold Up and Down the River even though Ohio was a free state but it was not a welcoming State you weren't a slave here but you couldn't stay for example Ohio had black laws that you could not settle here unless you had $200 per person you had to register with the courthouse who's with you how many of you are there you couldn't be unemployed but at the same time there were limits to who you could hire fire uh what kind of work you could do you couldn't sell them a gun it was very very difficult we basically subsisted on our own so these communities these small communities developed all of which were in the very rural very hilly very Woody areas don't know how many of us there are or how long we're going to be here Buck Ridge is one Morgan Township in 1839 my family which is uh I'd say five generations from where I am started in Bedford County Virginia with a man with the name of Charles Lambert Jr and in 1839 he decided to set all of what we know to be his slaves free when he he made out his will and he sold everything that he had down to the knives and forks and spoons and everything he had in order to get money to bring my family to Ohio so he sent his Executives here to Morgan County or Morgan Township G County Ohio in 1843 to buy land uh from right up road which we call in Morgan Township bought 250 uh acres of land and put 26 individuals in 1843 which was 20 years before the Civil War Between the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and all those things Tak together it's a mystery and before they come in 1843 as I told you earlier that those were living there was already working with the Underground Railroad this was a direct route from across the high river to there to there to go on North and I think that Charles Lambert had to have some connection with the Underground Railroad Underground Railroad if you've had anything to deal with them it's a very secretive thing the Ohio River plays a big part in the uh uh well I call it to the promised land that was our what you call our statue Li they all owned Farm they had farm animals and at that time you know that's where you made your living but they existed and they lived and here we are today we survived and because he did what he did with the with the money that he gave the foral ship that he provided that we actually existed we didn't come here and we didn't starve out but we actually made it I was born there I never lived there never grew up there but my parents did and their parents before them they grew up there they had a school uh they had a church they had everything was Community now we don't own the land that was given to us between that time as years went by that people moved away and people left and somebody had to pay the taxes and the thing of it is the taxes got so high that nobody was able to pay them because there's nobody still living on there so it finally sold on the courthouse de but my my Statue of Liberty is a high River High River when you come on this side of the river that you actually felt that you had a chance not an equal chance but you had a chance our name main name to fame is that we' the oldest emancipation celebration in the United States of America emancipation celebration was always a special time for us it wasn't like it is now where they've got venders and this and that it was more integrated it it wasn't it was primarily uh blacks whites were always welcome to come but it was a celebration of freedom it would be a homecoming for just people that had lived here went away come back and uh then of course celebration of being free and no matter what day of the week it fell on September 22nd which is the when Lincoln signed the Emancipation went into effect on January 1st 1863 but when he signed it in September 22nd people would take off from work it was just that big of an occasion that was the only place where you could actually you had a queen you nominated a queen it was somebody black because you weren't going to be recognized in the larger Community they generally would have speakers whether they were political or religious leaders from around the state there would be thousands of people that came it was a very uh rural area where they had it was a they called it a park but I mean it was just basically trees and grass it was about a mile from our home and we would walk in a hurry to get there when we got there of course generally they would have church services in the beginning and people are pulling in and getting out you know and you you have the dinners everybody would bring uh food you know hams and chickens and cakes and pies and alcohol uh out of the trunk of the car or but everybody would share with the other one and of course it was people that hadn't seen each other for long time the older ones uh you'd celebrate the older ones or they did they would acknowledge them from the stage there were games whether it was greasy Pig you know who could catch that pig or uh put some money up on top of a post greas that post with lard and then if you could climb it to try to get up there and get that probably a dollar bill at that time and then also they would be discussing the politics of the day who's running for office even though they would be at that time all white who should we as a people get behind and vote for and then the young ones of course would be looking at girls looking at boys and boys looking at girls Transportation ain't like it was is today you almost had to find somebody that that had a car that you can get in with to to drive all the way out to bibw where they're were holding the Emancipation so but uh if uh you can find the way if you if there's a pretty girl out [Laughter] there they had games they had uh horseshoe contest horseshoe pitching contests and horse racing uh baseball they had a baseball field and a a a a track that they ran horse races around and even the schools and school systems around would shut their doors to let the let the black kids come out to the mancipation Celebration we are the oldest running continuous running celebrations in the United States of course I wasn't there back when when those when those black Civil War troops came home but uh I know that there was a big celebration I know when they came back and I think having that many black Civil War soldiers living and dead that came from g county played a big part in being able to keeping keeping it going keeping it going through the years the the Emancipation Proclamation is as important as the Declaration of Independence when I was growing up the black community uh in gal and out in the county kind of revolved around the uh the the black churches those communities were very close very tight one big church day might bring people from all of those communities Black Fork was another one establish in 1819 the Union Baptist Church in Lawrence County Ohio is recognized as the oldest active black church in Appalachia I remember going to the older churches and Union was one of them and you would hear often uh they would have the windows open there was no AC in those days and anybody know what I'm talking about amen and you would hear them singing when you pulled up sometimes if you happen to be late as sometimes I have been and some of you know what I'm talking about that as well uh you would hear them singing outside and what great times amen amen we used to have a good time it is my desire that we continue to do that clap your hands [Music] my [Music] mind Church C by the TR every little money would gra but all so many [Music] Soul talking about a good [Music] time I hear [Music] you to little church [Music] s oh talking about a good time [Music] would put [Music] up in an open field and people would come from the house around traveling over rocks very little money would be raised so [Music] many talk [Music] about I love Jesus I love Jesus if you love me why don't to say it [Music] I yes I do yes I do why don't you tell your neighbor I love Jesus I love Jes I love Jesus I love Jesus [Music] oh and then they used to sing this song none but the righteous [Music] the the right [Music] the [Music] God and somebody in the back would stand up and say I know I [Music] got yes I [Music] shall see God sh see God I saw some pictures of some baptism you take me to the take me to the water the

Channel: Black in Appalachia

Views: 842

Keywords: black in Appalachia, African american history, black history, east tennessee pbs, etpbs, Southeastern Ohio, Ohio, Appalachian Ohio, Gallipolis, Gallia County, Blackfork, Lawrence County Ohio, Bidwell, Appalachian, Appalachia, Baptist Church, Black Church, Union Baptist Church, Jae'zus, William Isom, Jessica Tezak

Id: cwxrv4ZR8vE

Length: 15min 5sec (905 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 24 2024