Map of Tufts College in 1938. In the lower right corner, you can see the new Cousens Gym north of College Avenue the rest of the undeveloped Stearns Estate. The building to the west of Cousens Gym was originally College Station, but at this time it had been home to Tufts University Press for some time.
Map of Tufts College in 1929, less than a decade after the Stearns mansion was torn down. In the lower right is College Avenue, labeled "To Willows + Medford," referring to the street's nickname. Arrows also indicate that the Site for New Gym and the Tufts College Press are located to the right of the railroad.
View towards Medford Square from the top of College Hill (Tufts College), ca. 1910. The tree-lined Avenue stretching left to right is College Avenue, also known as The Willows. The Boston & Maine Railroad parallels the bottom of the image, with College Hill Station appearing at the bottom left. Behind the station is Pansy Park, a pansy nursery. To the left of Pansy Park is property belonging to the Stearns Estate. Across College Avenue are the clay pits.
Photograph of Eaton Hall in the winter in 1950. Eaton Hall served as the library from its construction in 1908 until the construction of Wessell Library in 1964. The busts of John Brown and George L. Stearns were at one point on exhibit here at one point..
View of College Hill and Tufts College from the Stearns Estate across the railroad tracks to the east. The buildings are, left to right: East Hall, Ballou Hall, Packard Hall, and West Hall.
Photograph of Ballou Hall, the first building on the campus of Tufts College, 6 years after it was opened. Until East Hall was constructed in 1860, Ballou Hall was the college's only building and it provided space for classrooms, a dormitory, a chapel, and a library. Originally called simply College Hall, Ballou Hall was renamed after named after Hosea Ballou II, the college's first president.
Black-and-white photograph of an untitled oil-on-board painting known as "College Hill from Medford," attributed to Benjamin Champney, ca. 1865 (Tufts University Permanent Collection AI 07400). The painting shows the Paul Curtis house and Ballou Hall of Tufts College in the distance, as seen from north of the Mystic River, ca. 1855.
Goddard Chapel soon after it was constructed on the campus of Tufts College, 1883. By the end of the 19th century, a plaque commemorating Dr. Edwin Hubbell Chapin had been placed inside the chapel, where it remains today.
Photograph of College Station at the corner of the Boston & Maine Railroad (foreground) and College Avenue (left). When the new Tufts College Station was built to the south, this building became occupied by Tufts College Press.
Letter written by John Brown in his jail cell a few days before his execution. The original letter was given to Mary Ann Brown at the time of her visit to her husband December 1, 1859. After his execution, Mrs. Brown sent the letter to Mrs. Stearns in a Bible. The letter reads: "Charlestown, Jefferson Co., Va., 29th Nov. 1859. Mrs George L Stearns, Boston, Mass. My Dear friend, No letter I have received since my imprisonment here, has given me more satisfaction, or comfort: than yours of the 8th inst. I am quite cheerful: & was never more happy. Have only time [to] write you a word. May God forever reward you & all yours. My love to All who love their neighbours. I have asked to be spared from having any mock; or hypocritical prayers made over me, when I am publicly murdered: & that my only religious attendants be poor little, dirty, ragged, bare headed & barefooted, Slave Boys; & Girls; Led by some old greyheaded, Slave Mother. Farewell. Farewell. Your Friend, John Brown."
Attribution:
Brown, John
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
Map of Tufts College showing buildings present in 1932 and possible sites of future buildings. In the lower right quadrant, note the presence of the Physical Education Building (Cousens Gymnasium) and possible future additions northwest of College Avenue, as well as a large plot of the Stearns Estate yet undeveloped. In 15 years, this property would be home to Stearns Village.
Attribution:
College Architects: Andrews, Jones, Biscoe & Whitmore
Cabinet card featuring the John Brown bust owned by Mary E. Stearns. The photograph used for the card was printed by W. Shaw Warren of Cambridgeport, Cambridge, MA.
Attribution:
Warren, W. Shaw
Attribution Statement:
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection, The New York Public Library
Ballou's Pictorial, printed by M. M. Ballou in Boston, Saturday, October 11, 1856 (Vol. XI, No. 15). The front page article shows a sketch of Tufts College (Ballou Hall) and a short article about the first anniversary of the Universalist Tufts College, quoting Dr. Edwin H. Chapin.
Marble bust of Robert Gould Shaw sculpted by Edmonia Lewis, 1864. On the base it reads "Martyr for Freedom." About a hundred plaster copies of this bust were sold in 1864.
Attribution:
Lewis, Edmonia
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA
Lock of John Brown's hair. The tags read "Hair of John Brown of Ossawatomie, given to me by Mrs. Stearns, 1869 -L. Alexander," "John Brown's hair, cut off of his funeral by his daughter, given by her to Mrs. G.L. Stearns, by Mrs. Stearns to me, L.G.A."
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Letter from Lydia Maria Child in Wayland, MA, to John Brown while in prison, October 26, 1859. (Note: The front and back page of this letter have been placed side by side.) In the letter, she decries Brown's violence, but assures him "that no honest man ever shed his blood for freedom in vain, however much he may be mistaken in his efforts."
Attribution:
Child, Lydia Maria
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society, Copy and Reuse Restrictions Apply
Oil on board painting of College Hill from across the Mystic River in Medford, pictured around 1856. The building on top of the hill is Ballou Hall, the first building of Tufts College. The white house in the foreground is the Paul Curtis House, which is said to be the house mentioned in Lydia Maria Child's poem "Over the River and Through the Woods." The Mystic River is in front of the Curtis house and is home to an old shipyard, possibly the Curtis shipyard.
Attribution:
Champney, Benjamin (attributed)
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of Tufts University Permanent Collection, AI 07400
A map of Tufts College about ten years after it opened, from a map drawn by Charles E. Fay, with a key to the buildings given below the map. Note College Hill Station (building W) at the corner of the Boston & Lowell Railroad and College Avenue leading to the Stearns Estate just off the edge of the map. This map appeared on page 148 of The Tuftonian, Vol. 2, No. 4 (May 1942).
Marble bust of George L. Stearns by Samuel Morse prior to its restoration in 2016. This bust was commissioned in 1879 by Mary Stearns, George's widow, to place in their home on their estate in Medford, Massachusetts.
Attribution:
Morse, Samuel
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection
Marble medallion of the abolitionist Wendell Phillips, sculpted by Edmonia Lewis. The John Brown medallions she made some seven years earlier may have appeared similar.
Attribution:
Lewis, Edmonia
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Card with the A. C. Russell woodcut of the bust of John Brown (by Edward A. Brackett) and a statement by Brown given to George L. Stearns in Medford, 1857: "Mr. Stearns, I consider the Golden Rule and the Declaration of Independence one and inseparable." On the reverse is a handwritten note that the bust was owned by Mrs. Mary Stearns regarding the bust's creation: Wood- cut of the Bust of John Brown in the possession of Mrs. Stearns - the only one in the world. It was taken by her order while awaiting execution in the Virginia Prison, October 1859."
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
Photograph of the view towards Medford from East Hall, Tufts College. The Stearns Estate mansion is located in the trees to the middle right. The caption reads, "View toward Medford from East Hall, 1875. The railroad cut is in front of the stonewall in the foreground. The farm house of the Stearns estate is seen in the lower left corner, and the mansion house in the right center. The end chimneys of the Royall House are seen in the center of the picture and, to the left of the house, the pointed object is the summer house that at one time stood on a mound in the Royall garden."
Oil on canvas painting of John Brown on the way to his execution on December 2, 1859. Brown, still injured from the failed raid at Harpers Ferry, was said to have kissed the head of a black baby on his way to the gallows.
Attribution:
Hovenden, Thomas
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stoeckel, 1897
Article titled "The Stearns Estate" by Justin Wyner, describing the 'Stearns Estate, 1899' painting by William Hauk. This article was published on pages 10-11 of the Spring 1945 edition of the Tuftonian. A black and white copy of the painting was featured on the front cover.
Photograph of Edward N. Hallowell when he was a captain in the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He later became the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.
Letter from Edward A. Brackett to George L. Stearns that reads, "My Dear Sir What do you think about taking a bust of old Brown. Can any thing be done about it. I shall be at my rooms till a quarter past 2 o'clock and should like to know what you think about it. Yours with regard, E.A. Brackett."
Attribution:
Brackett, Edward Augustus
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
View of the Stearns Estate and beyond that Medford from College Hill. The Stearns Estate mansion is located in among the trees in the lower left quadrant. The caption reads, "The Medford view in '74. This is somewhat to the east of the one above which brings the Stearns house near the left of the picture. The Royall House is the building with four end chimneys near the center of the picture. In the lower right hand corner the tower of the old Stearns windmill is barely visible."
Holiday card from the Fletcher School dean Jack Galvin and his wife Ginny. At the time they were living in the Paul Curtis House at 114 South Street, Medford, which was owned by Tufts University. (Note: The images of this card have been digitally rearranged.)
Perhaps the first publication of the text of the "John Brown Song," with the notation at the bottom reading, "From an Original in the Possession of Mr. Abram E. Cutter of Charlestown." Republished in George Kimball, "Origin of the John Brown Song", New England Magazine, vol. 7, no. 4 (1889), 374.
Photograph of Norwood Penrose Hallowell while he was a captain in the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. He later became the commander of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.
The busts of John Brown (by Edward A. Brackett) and George L. Stearns (by Samuel Morse) on display in the Tisch Library at Tufts University in 2017. Photograph taken August 16, 2017.
Tufts College. From an engraving of 1855. Visible on top of College Hill is Ballou Hall and Packard Hall (then known as Middle Hall). In the distance to the right is Medford.
View towards Medford from Ballou Hall, 1876, showing nearly the entirely Stearns Estate. The caption reads, "View from Ballou in 1876. Middle Hall [Packard Hall] in the center with an end of East Hall at the right. The entire Stearns estate is shown from the farm buildings to the windmill tower, also much of the plot of ground now occupied by Cousens Gym. The stone bank wall at the front of Middle Hall, shown in the 1856 and 1867 views of the building, has been swung to the east parallel with the front of the building. The Royall House and the summer house show clearly. The R.R. [railroad] cut and Boston Ave. are beyond the road, which lies beyond the clothes line." The mansion house of the Stearns Estate is visible just about the roof of Packard Hall.
Quarter-plate daguerreotype of John Brown holding what is believed to be an antislavery flag. This is the earliest photograph of John Brown known to exist. It was taken by black photographer Augustus Washington in Hartford, Connecticut.
Attribution:
Washington, Augustus
Attribution Statement:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchased with major acquisition funds and with funds donated by Betty Adler Schermer in honor of her great-grandfather, August M. Bondi
Letter from John Brown written to George L. Stearns from Tabor, Iowa. The letter is dated August 10, 1857. Brown wrote, "I am in immediate want of from Five Hundred to One Thousand Dollars for secret service & no questions asked."
Attribution:
Brown, John
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
The hilt of the sword used by Colonel Edward Needles Hallowell of Medford and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The label reads, "This is a German-made infantry officer's sword." On the hilt is the following inscription: "Major E. N. Hallowell 54th. Regiment Mass Infantry."
Etching by Victor Hugo of John Brown hanging on the noose after his execution in Charles Town, (West) Virginia, December 2, 1859. While in exile on the Isle of Guernsey, Hugo wrote an open letter requesting that Brown be pardoned; that letter was in fact written the day of Brown's execution. This sketch was used as the frontispiece for a treatise that Hugo published the following year.
Song text for "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by Julia Ward Howe. Published by the Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments during the Civil War.
Advertisement for John Brown medallions sculpted by Edmonia Lewis. This ad was placed in the 25 March 1864 edition of The Liberator, an antislavery magazine based out of Boston. Lewis was able to raise enough money through her sales to fund her relocation to Italy.
Bronze plaque memorializing George Luther Stearns, located in the Doric Hall of the Massachusetts State House in Boston. The plaque was purchased by lawmakers under Res. 1897, ch. 72. It reads: "In Memoriam: George Luther Stearns. A merchant of Boston who illustrated in his life and character the nobility and generosity of citizenship. Giving his life and fortune for the overthrow of slavery and the preservation of free institutions. To his unresting devotion and unfailing hope, Massachusetts owes the Fifty-fourth and Fifth-fifth Regiments of colored infantry, and the federal government ten thousand troops, at a critical moment in the great war. In the darkest hour of the republic, his faith in the people never wavered. Of him Whittier wrote: 'No duty could overtax him; no need his will outrun; Or ever our lips could ask him; His hands the work had done. A man who asked not to be great; But as he served and saved the state.' Born in Medford, Massachusetts, January 8, 1809. Died April 9, 1867."
A crib quilt with a star pattern and antislavery sentiments, used by the Hallowells of West Medford. The label reads,"Child's crib quilt made by ladies sympathetic to the slaves as a means of earning money to further the Cause. This quilt was purchased at a Fair and used on the crib of Charlotte Hallowell." The quilt has a number of antislavery sayings, such as "Plead for the Slave" and a poem: "I would not have a slave to till any ground / To carry me, to fan me while I sleep, / And tremble when I wake, for all the wealth / That sinews bought & sold have ever earn'd. / Oh! let us weep with those who weep, / Beneath oppresion's crushing hand: / And in our thoughts their anguish keep / Who till in tears our guilty land."
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Commemorative cast bronze memorial plaque of the Reverend Edwin Hubbell Chapin by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. In 1891, the plaque was donated to Tufts Collage and soon thereafter placed in Goddard Chapel. A notice in the school newspaper reads, "A replica of the bas-relief of Dr. Chapin in the Church of the Divine Paternity, New York City, has been presented to the college and will soon be placed in the chapel. This bas-relief is considered by good critics one of the masterpieces of St. Gaudens." (Tuftonian, vol. 17, no. 16 [5 June 1891], page 236)
Attribution:
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection: Gift of Friends of E.H. Chapin, AI 05500
Page on which are reproductions of photographs of John Brown's Northern Supporters, known as the Secret Six: George L. Stearns, Gerrit Smith, Frank B. Sanborn, T. W. Higginson, Theodore Parker and Samuel G. Howe. This six funded John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection.
Program for the dedication ceremonies of the Stearns Estate marker in front of Cousens Gymnasium, held April 8, 1987. The dedication consisted of several speakers and a performance of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" ("Battle Hymn of the Republic," sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body") by Julia Ward Howe of Medford.
Pike said to be one of the 954 pikes purchased by John Brown (with funds provided by George L. Stearns) for the attack at Harper's Ferry. The label associated with the object reads "Col. Stearns Estate, John Brown's pike." Whether the pike is truly one of the 954 is unknown; its previous whereabouts were not recorded.
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Photograph of Major George Luther Stearns in his military uniform. Stearns received his rank while serving as "Recruiting Commissioner for the U.S. Colored Troops" for the War Department in 1863.
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the West Virginia State Archives, John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection
Photograph of Sergeant William Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, around the time he received the Medal of Honor for saving the American flag during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.
Article written by Lydia Maria Child titled "Brackett's Bust of John Brown," published in the New York Tribune on 11 February 1860, page 9, column 6. [Note: Image has been reformatted digitally; the original article sits in a single column.] Text: "The best things of this world never obtrude themselves on public notice. Walking through Washington St. one may see plenty of rich jewelry sparkling in the windows, graceful statuettes, and vases moulded in to every form of beauty. But the gem of gems, the thing most worth seeing in all the city, is in an artist's studio, up two flight of stairs, 24 Tremont Row. There those who visit Boston can see Brackett's wonderful bust of John Brown. That the whole press has not lauded it, with one universal chorus of praise, is merely because the name of John Brown is, at this time, an apple of discord.Those who knew the martyred hero well, pronounce it an admirable likeness. Such is the written testimony of Sennott, the lawyer who was with him during his trial. The artist labored under the disadvantage of not being allowed to enter the prison, when he went to Virginia for the purpose of making this bust. But a friend took accurate measurements for him, and he had enlarged photographs to guide him. It is also a fortunate circumstance that he chanced to meet John Brown in the streets of Boston, several months before his brave bearing at Harper's Ferry had made him world-famous. The expression of the face, and the carriage of the head attracted his artistic eye. He said to himself 'There's a head for a sculptor.' He looked after him earnestly, and went back, in order to pass him again. Upon inquiring who it was, he was told, 'That is old John Brown of Kansas.' The strong impression then made on his mind had much to do with his subsequent desire of going to Virginia for the purpose of modelling his head. The Virginians refused to grant opportunities for this work, partly because they suspected he was secretly employed to make a plan of the jail, with a view to rescue; and partly because they wanted John Brown to die, and there to be 'an end of him,' as some of them expressed it; a wish which does not seem to be in a very fair way of fulfilment.When the artist returned, his soul was so completely absorbed in his work, that John Brown was continually before him, in the dreams of the night, and the mental visions of the day. He read attentively all his writings and sayings, in order to become thoroughly imbued with his character. With such concentration of thought, perhaps it is not extraordinary that he should have produced an excellent likeness. But it required genius to make it so alive. It is this that makes it impress me more deeply than anything I have seen of modern sculpture. There are many statues with graceful outline, and exquisitely cut; but the soul, that made the marble seem to breathe in ancient sculpture, is almost always wanting. In Brackett's Bust of Brown, the character of the man looks through the features wonderfully. Any good judge, that examined it, without knowing whom it was intended to portray, would say, "That is a man of strong will, and lofty courage; kindly of heart, and religious to the very core of his being."A Boston gentleman, who has lived much in Europe, exclaimed, "It is singularly like Michael Angelo's Moses"! Other visitors have also observed this resemblance. But Mr. Brackett had never seen Michael Angelo's Moses, nor any representation of it. In fact, the similarity is merely in character. It is the sublime expression, the air of moral grandeur, which connects the two in the imagination of the spectator. This is not surprising, when we reflect that Michael Angelo had for his ideal the ancient hero, who led his brethren out of bondage, at the command of Jehovah, and Brackett sought to embody the modern hero, whose soul was filled with the same great idea.That the effect produced on my mind is not peculiar, I will prove by two witnesses, whose prejudices would have pre-disposed them to be unfavorable critics. The sculptor's conservative friends were, of course, not pleased with the object of his visit to Virginia. One of them, meeting him in State St. a short time ago, said, 'What are you doing now, Brackett?' 'I have just finished my bust of John Brown,' was the reply. 'Ah, I was sorry to hear of your going to Virginia. It will be a great injury to you,' said the Conservative. The sculptor replied, 'An artist must seek materials wherever he can find them; and rarely can such material be found, as the head of John Brown. You had better come and see it.' 'Not I. The old murderer!' was the abrupt answer. 'Then come and look at the bust of Choate; for I have completed that also,' said Mr. Brackett. A few days afterward, the hunker gentleman called to see the bust of Choate. As he stood before it, he glanced furtively, from time to time, at the head of John Brown, which stood nearby. It seemed to attract him powerfully; for he soon turned and gazed upon it. At last, he asked, 'Is that a good likeness?' 'Those who knew John Brown well agree in telling me so,' replied the sculptor. The hunker looked at it thoughtfully, and said, 'I would give a good deal to think it was a fancy-sketch.' In the presence of that calm, strong, reverential head, he could not repeat the words, 'an old murderer.'An artist who was extremely hostile to John Brown, after looking at this magnificent head, exclaimed, 'The old curse! He ought to be ashamed of himself, for making all the rest of us look so mean.'This remarkable bust is ordered in marble. There are also many orders for copies in plaster. Admirable photographs of it are for sale; but, of course, the best of photographs can never do entire justice to statues.Should this head be dug up, after lying buried for centuries, and there should be no clue to its history, it would at once take conspicuous rank in galleries of Art, and men would say to each other; 'It might be a head of Jupiter, were there not something so Christian in its character.'L. Maria Child."
"John Brown and the Colored Child," a poem by Lydia Maria Child, published in Freedmen's Book (Boston: Fields, Osgood, & Co., 1869), page 241-242. It had originally been published in The Liberator as "The Hero's Heart" (1860). The text is as follows: "A winter sunshine, still and bright, / The Blue Hills bathed with golden light, / And earth was smiling to the sky, / When calmly he went forth to die. / Infernal passions festered there, / Where peaceful Nature looked so fair; / [5] And fiercely, in the morning sun, / Flashed glitt'ring bayonet and gun. / The old man met no friendly eye, / When last he looked on earth and sky; / [10] But one small child, with timid air, / Was gazing on his hoary hair. / As that dark brow to his upturned, / The tender heart within him yearned; / And, fondly stooping o'er her face, / [15] He kissed her for her injured race. / The little one she knew not why / That kind old man went forth to die; / Nor why, 'mid all that pomp and stir, / He stooped to give a kiss to her. / [20] But Jesus smiled that sight to see, / And said, "He did it unto me." / The golden harps then sweetly rung, / And this the song the angels sung: / 'Who loves the poor doth love the Lord; / [25] Earth cannot dim thy bright reward: / We hover o'er yon gallows high, / And wait to bear thee to the sky.'"
Shipwrecked Mother and Child, a well-known and controversial marble sculpture by Edward Augustus Brackett, 1851. The piece was inspired by the drowning of renowned feminist and transcendentalist Margaret Fuller and her family off of Long Island in 1850.
Attribution:
Brackett, Edward Augustus
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Worcester Art Museum, Gift of Edward Augustus Brackett.
Oil on canvas painting of Julia Ward Howe by Carnig Eksergian, 1906.
Attribution:
Eksergian, Carnig
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Harvard University Portrait Collection, Gift of Elfrieda K. Bowditch, in memory of her husband, Manfred Bowditch, to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Harvard Medical School.
Pocketwatch belonging to Lydia Maria Child. The inscription reads, "From a few of the Ladies of Salem and Lynn, Massachusetts, to their friend Mrs. Child the true and noble, the irreproachable who made the first Appeal in behalf of the American Slave. Aug. 8, 1835."
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Etching of the 1859-60 meteor shower published in Harper's Weekly, vol. 4, No. 188 (4 August 1860), 481. The caption reads, "The meteor as seen by J. McNevin, Esq., near Bedford, Long Island."
"New England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day" (also known as "Over the River and Through the Woods") by Lydia Maria Child, published in Flowers for Childrenby Lydia Maria Child (Boston, 1845), p. 25. "Grandfather's house" is believed to have been inspired by Child's grandparents' home on 114 South Street in Medford.
Broadside illustrating key events in the enslavement, escape, arrest, return to slavery, and the later manumittence of Anthony Burns, who was returned to slavery under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 after his arrest in Boston in 1854. Printed in Boston by R.M. Edwards, printer, 129 Congress Street, 1855.
Illustrated broadside of the Emancipation Proclamation, showing portraits of some of the Founding Fathers and notable abolitionists, including Gerrit Smith, Charles Sumner, Wendell Phillips, and Lydia Maria Child. Printed by L. Franklin Smith, Philadelphia, PA, 1865.
Etching of the attempted arrest of Franklin Sanborn, 1860, published in Harper's Weekly, 14 April 1860. The caption reads, "Arrest and rescue of Frank B. Sanborn, Esq., at Concord, Massachusetts, on the night of April 3, 1860."
A page from the 1937 inventory of artworks at Tufts College, showing that the busts of John Brown and George L. Stearns were on display in the Eaton Library.
Photograph of a wagon in the distance on College Avenue in Medford near Tufts College, circa 1870. The trees lining the street gave its nickname "The Willows." The Stearns Estate bordered College Avenue.
Photograph of College Avenue, possibly in 1910. This stretch of the road was known as "The Willows" for its romantic arc of willow trees. The Stearns Estate bordered College Avenue to the north.
Cabinet card featuring the John Brown bust owned by Mary E. Stearns. This cabinet card was printed by Litchfield Studios in Arlington, MA. A handwritten note on the back of the card reads, "John Brown. From the Bust taken while awaiting Execution in the Virginia Prison, by order of Mrs. George L. Stearns, October 1859. This is the only marble Bust of the Martyr, at present writing - 1919 - in the world. It was only secured by the earnest entreaty of Mrs. Stearns, for whom, and his faithful friend Mr. Stearns, he cherished warm regard. E. A. Brackett, Sculptor."
Excerpt from the will of Mary E. Stearns, 1901. She dictates that a third part each of her remaining estate holdings should be given to Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Berea College, and Tuskegee College, for "The George L. Stearns Memorial Fund of [that College]" for the purpose of "promoting in those several institutions the education and elevation of the youth of the South, and especially of the youth of the colored race, in whose interest and welfare my deceased husband George L. Stearns ever felt such a profound interest and to which he gave such devoted service."
Highboy (chest of drawers) acquired by Tufts College from the Stearns Estate around 1919, now (2017) located in the third floor lobby of Ballou Hall. Family tradition maintained that the this piece of furniture was made by Benjamin Frothingham, Jr., of Charlestown. In 1971, this highboy was located in the Wessell Library. In 1950, this highboy was located in the Gott Memorial Room in Eaton Library. This photograph was taken in August 2017.
Etching appearing in Harper's Weekly of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment singing "John Brown's Body." The caption reads, "'Marching on!--The Fifty-fifth Massachusetts Colored Regiment Singing John Brown's March in the Streets of Charleston, February 21, 1865.--[See page 172.]"
Portrait of Major George L. Stearns with his signature, taken in his military recruiter uniform. The portrait was taken by the Pack Brothers of Cambridge, MA, in 1863.
Attribution:
Pack Brothers
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
The busts of John Brown (by Edward A. Brackett) and George L. Stearns (by Samuel Morse) on display in the Tisch Library. Photograph taken August 16, 2017.
Grandfather clock belonging to the Stearns Estate. It was bequeathed to Tufts University by Mary E. Stearns and has long been a decorative feature of the President's Office in Ballou Hall. This photograph was taken in August 2017.
Graves monument for Reverend Hosea Ballou at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. It was sculpted by Edward Augustus Brackett. This photograph was taken in August 2017.
Bronze relief by Augustus Saint-Gaudens commemorating Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first formally recognized black regiment in the Union. The Memorial is borders the Boston Common and Beacon Street across from the front steps of the Massachusetts State House in Boston. The memorial took the artist 13 years to complete. It was dedicated on May 31, 1897. Visible in the upper corner are the Latin words "Omnia relinquit servare rempublicam," which translates to "He relinquished everything to serve the Republic." This photograph was taken in August 2017.
This painting shows the Stearns mansion in the center right and the farmhouse to the far right. In the distance on the hill are the buildings of Tufts College, with the tower of Goddard Chapel, East Hall, and West Hall visible through the trees. The road to the left is College Avenue; at the time it was known as the Willows because of the trees on either side. At the corner of College Avenue and the railroad tracks is College Hill train station. The Boston & Lowell Railroad operated on the tracks that separated Tufts College from the Stearns Estate's orchards.
Attribution:
William Hauk
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection