Local Lawyer/Journalist Tortured!

I was trying to think of a title for this blog entry that would grab readers attention, something shocking. But then I began to think of the recent events that include cannibalism, mass murders, and (shudder) worst of all, elections 2012, it seems rather difficult to come up with something shocking these days.

So what gives... who, what, and where did this lawyer/journalist get tortured? The who is Alexander Contee Hanson. The where is right here in Baltimore city. The what involves and angry mob, beatings and even the use of tar and feathers. The missing question here is, "When?". That would be July 22, 1812, just a little over 200 years ago, and only 4 days after the beginning of the War of 1812.

This is one of many, many interesting discoveries I found with only a quick search of the terms War of 1812 and Baltimore. One location I discovered was right here above my own nose. The Special Collections Library at UB, under the direction of Tom Hollowak, is a treasure trove of material meant for the aspiring historian all the way to the most learned academic. For more info, visit the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Maryland (SWE) resource page.

When I first discovered this incredible link to fascinating history, my first thought was, "I could lose my job," meaning that I could very easily spend my day sorting through the various historical pages, collections, and artifacts in this collection. And what better time to explore this resource than as we commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

As we begin this school year our 1st floor display case features a large portion of the collection about the War of 1812 from our Special Collections Library. Including a replica of a 15 star American Flag, an insignia, possibly from a battle drum of the Washington Blues, 5th Regiment of Maryland, and a piece of wood labeled "Piece of tree under which General Ross was killed."

So what about that tar and feathered journalist/lawyer? Here is just a peak into that story, from Wikipedia:  

Alexander Contee Hanson (February 27, 1786 – April 23, 1819) was an American lawyer, publisher, and statesman. He represented the third district of Maryland in the U.S. House, and the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

Hanson, the grandson of John Hanson, was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and attended local private schools. He graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis in 1802. He proceeded to study law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Annapolis. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1811 to 1815.

Hanson established and edited the Federal Republican, an extreme Federalist newspaper, in Baltimore. On June 22, 1812, four days after the beginning of the War of 1812, a mob that was irritated by his articles denouncing the administration[,] destroyed his office. [On] July 28, he reissued the paper from another building, where he was joined by a group of armed allies. When that building was besieged by a mob, Hanson and his group fired, killing two. On the morning of July 29, Hanson and his group surrendered to the militia and were escorted to jail. That evening, the mob stormed the jail, and Hanson was beaten and left for dead. Hanson moved the paper to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where he published it unmolested. Hanson later moved to Rockville, Maryland.

Discovering Our Hidden Resources

On the move: Arabbers on Baltimore streets (Sept-Oct 1969) 

The Special Collections Department is often an overlooked resource at Langsdale Library. It doesn’t help that it is located on the fourth floor, housed behind locked doors and open by appointment only.  However, the staff of three archivists is work diligently to make the treasures to be found within more accessible.  There are 134 individual archival collections, the majority of these related to the making of the modern city of Baltimore. Collectively they document the built environment, civic groups, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations from 20th century Baltimore City. Among the holdings can be found: oral histories, photographs, television news footage, architectural plans, and the papers of prominent Baltimore citizens.

As part of increasing awareness and promotion of the resources several digital initiatives over the last couple of years have been undertaken.  These range from completely digitized archival collections to select photographs and news footage on flickr.  Another impetus for improving access is researcher interest, recently MICA professor Mikita Brottman wrote about her experiences with this regard while trying to learn about the history of the Belvedere Hotel.  It was her use of this collection that led the staff to enhance the collection overview and creating a finding aid on the department’s website.  Collection overviews have also been created for all 134 collections and this information will soon be available in the library’s catalog.