Frances Harper (left), Jacob Compton (middle), and William Howard Day (right). Courtesy of Lenwood Sloan. Photographed by Etsub Taye.
Amid bustling Strawberry square and on the lawn of the Speaker K. LeRoy Irvis Office Building of Harrisburg’s Capitol Park are four figures clad in bronze. These four figures: Thomas Morris Chester, Jacob T. Compton, William Howard Day, and Frances Harper were leading abolitionists of their time who had a significant impact on the long-gone Black neighborhood of the 8th ward.
When initially seeing the monument one might be slightly taken aback by the animated expressions and the lifelike qualities of the figures. But what’s more surprising is the attention to detail. The life-size monument commemorates all four of the abolitionists by including symbols of their accomplishments. Thomas Morris Chester is depicted scribbling in his notepad symbolizing his achievement in being the first African American War correspondent in the Civil War. Meanwhile, Jacob T. Compton, famously known for his help in escorting Lincoln away from an attempted assassination, looks ahead into the distance. Opposite the pair William Howard Day, one of the leading Black voices in the equal rights effort following the Civil War, is in the middle of a conversation with Frances Harper. In the meantime, Harper, an abolitionist poet, and suffragist, is seen handing back a copy of the 15th Amendment to Day as if to point out the absence of women’s right to vote. The four figures surround a map of the long-lost neighborhood carved into the orator’s pedestal and stand on top of bricks that mimic the cobblestone ground of the 8th ward.
Closer look at a copy of 15th Amendment. Courtesy of Lenwood Sloan. Photographed by Etsub Taye.
The effort to detail demonstrated in putting this monument up has far reaching implications. The location for instance shows the dangers freedom seekers and freedmen dealt with on account of their proximity to slave catchers. But the monument also reminds onlookers of the efforts of vigilance committees and the involvement of Black men and women in attaining their freedom. This is a significant accomplishment since it’s often overlooked.
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