In our local news, a chatelaine of one of the great Maryland homes has recently passed away, Mrs. Mary Tilghman of Wye House.
. Mrs. Tilghman opened her home and her family archives in order to contribute to our knowledge of slave life in America. To quote
Mrs. Tilghman grew up in Pittsburgh, but spent
her summers at Wye House, riding horses, playing in the box garden or
enjoying the river. She and her late husband inherited the property in
1993. Since then, Mrs. Tilghman dedicated herself to learning about and
preserving the house and the Lloyd family history, including the role of
slavery at the plantation.
Edward Lloyd IV built the present Wye House
mansion on the site between 1787 and 1792. There is evidence the Lloyds
lived there before 1670, and the first Edward Lloyd, an early tobacco
planter, was known as the richest man in the state in his time. He died
in 1695.
From 1660 until emancipation, Wye House ran on
slave labor. Mrs. Tilghman lived in what was known as the “Captain’s
House,” a circa-1700 dwelling once occupied by Aaron Anthony, overseer
and owner of famed orator, author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass
who was brought to the plantation to begin his usefulness as a slave at
age 6.
That rich history went hand in hand with the
large, beautiful home filled with portraits, letters and priceless
antiques, which Mrs. Tilghman painstakingly preserved. She allowed 400
boxes of Lloyd family papers to be archived at the Maryland Historical
Society. Those from the past who have visited the plantation included
ambassadors, governors, statesmen and celebrities, among them Jefferson
Davis, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Frederick Douglass when he
was no longer a slave.
Douglass wrote several autobiographies,
eloquently describing his experiences as a slave, particularly on the
Wye House plantation. His work became famous and influential in its
support for abolition. After emancipation, many members of the slave
population of Wye House settled nearby, forming the community of
Unionville.
About eight years ago, Mrs. Tilghman commissioned
Archaeology in Annapolis to study slavery at Wye House through an
archaeological dig.
“I have always felt it was a rather brave thing for her to do,” said archaeologist Dr. Mark Leone of the University of Maryland.
“She thought slavery was a wicked institution. She said that to me,” he said.
“She felt that archaeology was a way of making
slavery at Wye House a part of African-American knowledge in Talbot
County,” he said.
A series of archaeological digs at Wye House have happened every summer since then. They specifically target the area on the
plantation known as “the long green,” where slave quarters and slave
work areas were located, according to the Douglass autobiography. Along
with digging, students researched and reviewed the family papers,
helping slave descendants in Unionville also gain information.
“For me, Mrs. Tilghman was a very gracious lady.
Without hesitation, she opened her historic home so we could learn more
about the history of our ancestors,” said Harriette Lowery of the
Frederick Douglass Honor Society.
“I don’t think until Mary Tilghman had come back home anyone had thought about opening the home to the neighbors,” she said.
“Her family records had such detail that it
helped many of us in Unionville learn more about our ancestors. It
answered a lot of unanswered questions for us.”
“It was remarkable that they had so much history
that was recorded and stored. Not many people get to do that. She
allowed that to happen.”
Mrs. Tilghman was a strong proponent to have the Frederick Douglass statue erected on the Talbot County Courthouse lawn.
“During one of my visits, I was sitting down
talking to her,” President of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society Eric
Lowery said. “She was passionate about the project. She was disappointed
that it was delayed. She said that she hoped she lived long enough to
see the project completed.”
And she did. Lowery recalled looking out and seeing her sitting on the courthouse lawn during the statue’s dedication.
“It was a pleasure to know she lived long enough to see that,” he said.
Mrs. Tilghman was named one of only two honorary
members of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society as a descendent of the
Douglass story. The organization cited her for bringing history
together, promoting healing and public reconciliation.
The Maryland Historical Society named her
Marylander of the Year in 2010 for her many contributions in
preservation. She commissioned the Maryland Historical Society the
cataloging of the massive collection of Lloyd and Tilghman family
papers, making them available for the first time to historians and
scholars.
“She exemplified unpracticed charity. What I mean by that is she did not have to think twice before giving,” said Dr. Leone. “She inspired generous work because she was so generous,” he said.
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2 comments:
Lovely. I remember that moving passage where Douglass talks about returning in later years to visit the mansion and meet the descendants of the family. I might look it up and quote some of it on the forum.
In that region of Maryland one is able to step back in time because no large cities or industries have sprung up to destroy or build over the original sites of many grand houses that date back to the early history of America.
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