| The Great Commoner Vol. 8, No. 2 www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com Fall 2006 |
Lionel Barrymore played
Thaddeus Stevens in the
movie, Tennessee Johnson
Thaddeus Stevens in the
movie, Tennessee Johnson
See Thad In The Movies
Members of the Thaddeus
Stevens Society will get a rare
chance to see a movie
portraying Thaddeus Stevens
at our next meeting on
Saturday, November 18, at 1
p.m., at Ross Hetrick’s
house at 275 Old Route 30 in
McKnightstown, PA.
We will be seeing a portion
of, Tennessee Johnson, a
1942 film about President
Andrew Johnson. The last
part of the film includes the
effort by Thaddeus Stevens,
played by
Stevens Society will get a rare
chance to see a movie
portraying Thaddeus Stevens
at our next meeting on
Saturday, November 18, at 1
p.m., at Ross Hetrick’s
house at 275 Old Route 30 in
McKnightstown, PA.
We will be seeing a portion
of, Tennessee Johnson, a
1942 film about President
Andrew Johnson. The last
part of the film includes the
effort by Thaddeus Stevens,
played by
Lionel Barrymore, to impeach
Johnson. The only other film to
include Thaddeus Stevens was
the 1915 silent film, Birth of A
Nation. Munchies, including
popcorn, will be served for your
viewing enjoyment.
There will be a business
meeting before the film, where
plans for staffing the Stevens
exhibit at the Thaddeus Stevens
College of Technology will be
discussed. For directions to
Ross Hetrick’s house, call
717-334-5227.
Johnson. The only other film to
include Thaddeus Stevens was
the 1915 silent film, Birth of A
Nation. Munchies, including
popcorn, will be served for your
viewing enjoyment.
There will be a business
meeting before the film, where
plans for staffing the Stevens
exhibit at the Thaddeus Stevens
College of Technology will be
discussed. For directions to
Ross Hetrick’s house, call
717-334-5227.
Back portions of Stevens and Smith Houses Removed After
Convention Center Authority Devises Funding Plan
Convention Center Authority Devises Funding Plan
Work has begun on removing the back portions
of the houses of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia
Hamilton Smith in Lancaster after the Lancaster
Convention Authority came up with a plan to fill a
funding shortfall.
The actions are the first steps in a project by
the Historical Preservation Trust of Lancaster to
restore the front sections of the two houses and
to create a museum complex about Thaddeus
Stevens and the fight for human equality.
Earlier this summer when it appeared that the
Convention Authority might not be able to raise
enough money to build the center, there were
fears that the back halves of the houses might be
torn down without a convention center being built
behind them. This could have lead to further
deterioration of the historic houses. As a result,
the Preservation
of the houses of Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia
Hamilton Smith in Lancaster after the Lancaster
Convention Authority came up with a plan to fill a
funding shortfall.
The actions are the first steps in a project by
the Historical Preservation Trust of Lancaster to
restore the front sections of the two houses and
to create a museum complex about Thaddeus
Stevens and the fight for human equality.
Earlier this summer when it appeared that the
Convention Authority might not be able to raise
enough money to build the center, there were
fears that the back halves of the houses might be
torn down without a convention center being built
behind them. This could have lead to further
deterioration of the historic houses. As a result,
the Preservation
Trust invoked a provision its agreement with the
Convention Authority to stop the demolition until it
was sure that the convention center had the
funding to be built. The Thaddeus Stevens Society
also hired attorney Sam Slaymaker to work
against the premature demolition.
The Convention Authority delayed the
demolition and came up with a new funding plan.
The Preservation Trust then gave the go-ahead to
remove the back portions of the houses. While
there are many questions about the plan it
demonstrates that the power structure in Lancaster
is intent on building the Convention Center.
The Thaddeus Stevens Society has not taken
any further action because it appears certain that
the convention center will be built. We now look
forward to work beginning on the museum
complex, which will extol the legacy of Thaddeus
Stevens.
Convention Authority to stop the demolition until it
was sure that the convention center had the
funding to be built. The Thaddeus Stevens Society
also hired attorney Sam Slaymaker to work
against the premature demolition.
The Convention Authority delayed the
demolition and came up with a new funding plan.
The Preservation Trust then gave the go-ahead to
remove the back portions of the houses. While
there are many questions about the plan it
demonstrates that the power structure in Lancaster
is intent on building the Convention Center.
The Thaddeus Stevens Society has not taken
any further action because it appears certain that
the convention center will be built. We now look
forward to work beginning on the museum
complex, which will extol the legacy of Thaddeus
Stevens.
| Stevens Cane Mystery Solved |
The mystery of a cane owned by Thaddeus Stevens was solved recently with the publication of new
Stevens biography.
Joyce Godwin, a descendant of Thaddeus Stevens’s brother Joshua, has a cane owned by
Thaddeus, which is inscribed on its cap with the words: “Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 2, 3 1863, T.
Stevens.� Why it referred to the Gettysburg battle was unclear since Stevens was living in Lancaster at
the time of the battle.
But then in December 2005 Brad Hoch published his book, Thaddeus Stevens in Gettysburg, The
Making of An Abolitionist. On page 95 he mentioned that a mother of six from Gettysburg sent
Thaddeus Stevens a cane made from relics from the battlefield. So not only does Joyce Godwin have an
artifact of her famous ancestor but also of the Battle of Gettysburg. What a find.
Stevens biography.
Joyce Godwin, a descendant of Thaddeus Stevens’s brother Joshua, has a cane owned by
Thaddeus, which is inscribed on its cap with the words: “Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 2, 3 1863, T.
Stevens.� Why it referred to the Gettysburg battle was unclear since Stevens was living in Lancaster at
the time of the battle.
But then in December 2005 Brad Hoch published his book, Thaddeus Stevens in Gettysburg, The
Making of An Abolitionist. On page 95 he mentioned that a mother of six from Gettysburg sent
Thaddeus Stevens a cane made from relics from the battlefield. So not only does Joyce Godwin have an
artifact of her famous ancestor but also of the Battle of Gettysburg. What a find.
Stevens Quote:
“I can never acknowledge the right of slavery. I will bow down to no deity however
worshipped by professing Christians – however dignified by the name of the Goddess of
Liberty, whose footstool is the crushed necks of the groaning millions, and who rejoices in
the resoundings of the tyrant’s lash, and the cries of his tortured victims.� May 4,
1838.
“I can never acknowledge the right of slavery. I will bow down to no deity however
worshipped by professing Christians – however dignified by the name of the Goddess of
Liberty, whose footstool is the crushed necks of the groaning millions, and who rejoices in
the resoundings of the tyrant’s lash, and the cries of his tortured victims.� May 4,
1838.