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Last month, Co-Director Dr. Momon and Research Dir

Last month, Co-Director Dr. Momon and Research Director Victoria made a trip out to East Tennessee. Included on the trip was a drive out to Sevierville, Tennessee. For today's #FieldWorkFriday we want to highlight one of our stops, the Riley H. Andes House built by Lewis C. Buckner. BCDA has featured several of Buckner's ornate furniture pieces before. The team was fortunate enough to go inside this house, as it is now used as the Robert A. Tino Art Gallery. Inside, we found one of Buckner's hand-carved mantels still in tact. The house stands as a testament to Buckner's multi-faceted skill, as he labored as a carpenter, cabinetmaker, and master builder.

Martha Cassell Thompson was born in 1925 in Baltim

Martha Cassell Thompson was born in 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland. Following in her father, Albert Casell's, footsteps, she became an architect. After graduating as valedictorian from Dunbar High School, Thompson attended Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. Along with her sister, Alberta Casell, they were the first two Black women to obtain a BS in Architecture from Cornell. Her first job was with an architectural firm in St. Louis. However, she then moved to Washington D.C. where she worked at Frohman, Robb, & Little. It was during this time that she became the chief restoriation architect for the Washington Nashville Cathedral. Thompson was one of the only women to serve on the project team.
For more information see: Dreck Spurlock Wilson, ed., "African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1944," New York: Routledge, 2004; Daniel Aloi, "Building on Opportunity: The Cassell Family of Architects," Ezra 7 (2014).
Image 1: Image 2: Carol M. Highsmith, "National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.," 1980, Highsmith, Carol M., 1946- Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress; Image 3: South Transept Elevation and Sections, Washington Cathedral, 1951, Washington National Cathedral Archives Collection, National Building Museum; Image 4: Central Tower, Washington Cathedral, 1961, Washington National Cathedral Archives Collection, National Building Museum.

William Brown was born in Boston, Massachusetts in

William Brown was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1824. He moved to Worcester as a teenager and started his upholstery business at a young age. An upholsterer and entrepreneur, Brown was the first Black man to be inducted into the Worcester County Mechanic’s Association after receiving recognition at the Mechanics Fair. His clients included the white elites of Worcester, who came to him for furniture upholstery as well as drapery for their homes. Brown was also active within the African American community of Worcester. Alongside other abolitionists, Brown worked towards ending enslavement. When his wife Martha passed away, Frederick Douglass sent him a letter of condolence, highlighting just how active Brown was in the movement. He also served as a solider during the Civil War. Brown also held several patents, including a sofa bed and a fruit picker.
For more information see: Brown Family Papers, American Antiquarian Society; Veer Mudambi, "Uncovering Worcester's Hidden Black History," Worcester Magazine.
Image 1: Photograph of William Brown, Brown Family Papers, American Antiquarian Society; Image 2: 1850 United States Federal Census, Census Place: Worcester Ward 3, Worcester, Massachusetts, Roll: 342, Page: 162a; Image 3: United States Patent Office, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents, 346.

#ObjectOfTheDay Enslaved Women in Grainger County,

#ObjectOfTheDay
Enslaved Women in Grainger County, Tennessee, Overshot Coverlet, c. 1850s. East Tennessee Historical Society.

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