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 George
F. Nagle
6431 Shatto Drive
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17111-4640
email: george.nagle@gmail.com
»
In the photo at
right, the author, second from left, poses with fellow tour guides James
Schmick (left), Jeannette Cairo, and historian Sheldon Munn (right) at
the Camp Curtin Historical Society's annual "History Comes
Alive" event at the Harrisburg Cemetery, September 1999. Lawrence
Keener-Farley photo.
Education
- Bachelor of Humanities in American
Studies, 1992, Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.
- Associate of Arts, 1990, Harrisburg
Area Community College, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- Class of 1975, Harrisburg High
School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Public History Work
- 1997 to Present:
Editor of the
Web site “Afrolumens Project,” a resource for students of African American
History in
Pennsylvania
- January 2007:
"Hairspray" Civil Rights Panel Discussion, Hershey Theatre
- November 2004: Invited
speaker at Fort Hunter Mansion and Park's "Teach Me About Freedom"
event, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
- February 2004: Paper presented at Temple
University's First Annual Underground Railroad Conference,
Philadelphia, PA
- March 2003 & 2005: Instructor
for "Harrisburg's Underground Railroad," HACC Annual Civil War Seminars, Harrisburg, PA
- February 2003: Invited
speaker at the Clarke Institute Underground Railroad Conference,
Carlisle, PA
- September 2002: Invited speaker at the U.S. Colored Troops Institute Symposium,
Harrisburg, PA.
- February, 2001, 2002: Seminar
presenter, First Annual Underground Railroad and Abolitionist
Seminars, Gettysburg, PA
- April 2000:
History Panelist
at the 23rd Annual Conference on Black History in Pennsylvania, Harrisburg,
PA
- September, 1999 - 2004, 2006:
Tour
guide, Harrisburg Cemetery "History Comes Alive" event
- 1998 to 2003:
Editor of The
Bugle, the journal of the Camp Curtin Historical Society
- 1991-1992:
Researcher for Dr.
Beverly Palmer in compiling the Thaddeus Stevens Papers
- 1992:
Guest Curator for “The
Harrisburg Seven Trial” exhibit at the Historical Society of Dauphin
County
- 1991: Guest Curator for
“Nelly's World—A Black Folk Artist and her Work,” multimedia
exhibit at the Historical Society of Dauphin County
Why a website about slavery?
Purpose--to Educate
The purpose of this Web site is to
educate people about the history of African American enslavement in Pennsylvania--a simple
goal, really. The subject of slavery in American society has always been
controversial and continues to be filled with nearly as much myth as fact.
Many historians have made wonderful efforts through the years to document
the slaveholding history of the states below the Mason and Dixon line, but
I have found that many people still believe that slaveholding in the
northern states was either non-existent or so minimal as to have had no
impact on society here. With this Web site I want to show that the
institution of slavery was not only strong in Pennsylvania, but thrived
for many years after the state legislature passed laws to discontinue the
practice.
Slavery also affected Pennsylvania
society in profound ways. That is why I am documenting slaveholders and enslaved persons--because they each have their
stories to tell, and little by little, I am uncovering many of them. From these
stories I hope to show that slaveholding shaped the
lives and attitudes of many of early Pennsylvania's most influential
people--judges, politicians, industrialists, merchants, the clergy, and most significantly, many generations of African Americans. Also,
the sheer numbers of slaves listed on the individual pages, identified by
name, age and sex, is shocking. Which brings us to the philosophy behind
the pages.
Philosophy--to Understand
The philosophy behind this Web site
is also simple: to promote understanding. It seems that, when presented
with the topic of slavery, nearly everyone has a barrier of pre-conceived
ideas behind which they can hide. White genealogists who consult these pages and
encounter a list of persons who were enslaved by their ancestors often express amazement
and embarrassment. An African American genealogist and local historian who is
descended from one of the slaves documented on these pages told me that there were
many others he knew of--older folks who were similarly related--who
"don't want to talk about it." Few people it seems,
regardless of race, have wanted to talk about it, especially if it
involves their own family history. But fortunately those attitudes are
changing, and much of the change is due to the huge amount of information
available on the internet and the connections to be made there.
It is this sheer weight of data
that is inviting people to form their own opinions regarding history. We
are witnessing a sea change in the way people look at their own history
and by extension their place in modern society, and that is a wondrous
thing. This Web page is my contribution to that revolution in learning.
You can read my interpretations of the data, presented in my "Educational
Pages" section, or you can ignore that and go straight for the raw
data to do your own research and make your own interpretations. Each part
is presented equally. What is important is that we see the names
documented in these pages, enslaved and slaveholder alike, as men and women
of their times, flesh and blood characters, instead of just names
on an old tax list, estate inventory or genealogical chart. Their
roles in our history were intertwined, so it is important that we study
them both. We can no more separate the lives of the enslaved from the
slaveholders than we can disassociate ourselves from our modern society.
With this Web page, I hope to bring a little more understanding to the
common history that binds everyone in this state and country. Our progress in a
national dialogue on race relations depends on a clear understanding of
our mutual histories.
Blogs and more
Lumenarium Blog of the
Afrolumens Project
Wordie Words,
language, etymology--a writer's heaven
Flickr
Pictures, pictures, pictures
Personal Information
Except for two years spent in the
sunshine of southern California, I have spent my entire life in the
vicinity of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I was born here, raised in the
Allison Hill section of the city and educated in the Harrisburg School
District, where I currently work as an administrative assistant at Harrisburg
University of Science and Technology High School. History, especially
local history, has always been a passion of
mine, second only to my love for my family. My wife Amy entered my life
as a co-worker in the fast food restaurant that employed us during
our high
school years. We've been inseparable ever since the first kiss. Our two
children are Sarah, a very intelligent and talented photographer/artist
with a degree in Fine Arts from Kutztown University, and
Jonathan, a
cyber-warrior/techno-wizard and a source of great inspiration and
technical help in designing this Web page. Without the support of these
three people, this Web page would never have come into existence, let
alone grow to its current size and scope. Thank you Amy, Sarah and
Jonathan.
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