Fort Hunter Barn

Fort Hunter Barn, originally uploaded by Star Cat.

Duane and I went to a lecture last night at the Fort Hunter Barn. It was twilight and the light was just amazing. The lecture? Lincoln's visits to Harrisburg and the plot to kill him in Baltimore as told by the journals of Charles Rawn. Who is Charles Rawn? A Harrisburg attorney whose history is fascinating! I wish the lecturer would have just concentrated on Charles Rawn's legal career. Charles C. Rawn was one of two lawyers hired by Blacks and sympathetic whites to defend those accused of being fugitive slaves during the days of the federal Fugitive Slave Act. Rawn and Mordecai McKinney frequently rushed to the defense of hapless men, women and children brought before the federal slave commissioner, Richard McAllister, whose office was in Harrisburg. All too often, though, their efforts were in vain, as the federal law stifled the rights of Blacks accused of being fugitives, and Commissioner McAllister, sympathetic to slaveholders, remanded most of the fugitives back to slavery.

Attorney Rawn is buried in Harrisburg Cemetery so this weekend I'm going to pay my respects.

I seriously, I have so many photos of this barn...I promise I'll stop. (after this Saturday as Duane and I attend this: Journey to a Hidden African American Cemetery
Explore a significant historic site on an intimate tour blending history, music and poetry. The program focuses on the African Americans associated with Fort Hunter since the 1700s. The tour will include a 1 mile walk (some uneven forest land).
When: Saturday, April 18, 2 pm-4 pm
Where: Centennial Barn
Admission: Free

One last barn photo! (because it will probably be a pretty day.