Emancipation Proclamation Celebration, Fremont, Ohio, 1879

Celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation

Fremont, Ohio, 1879

The nearby broadside, printed in Fremont, Ohio, publicized the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States and the West Indies. The date, August 1st 1879, was chosen by the organizers as it was on this day in 1838 that full freedom from slavery was enacted  throughout the British Empire It had taken England four years to implement the act. Because England “ruled the waves” with its powerful navy, it was necessary for all its ships to comply with the proclamation as it sailed to many of the country’s colonies where slavery had existed for decades.

Locally, Reverend Edward Claybrooks took charge and served as president of the event. Born in Tennessee some fifty years earlier, he had come to Fremont, married Sarah Ann Curtis, and ministered to many of Sandusky County’s African American families at the A. M. E. Church. Orlando Curtis, T.G. Reese, Jacob Reed, George Taylor, Robert Keyes, and John Floyd were just a few of the event organizers.. 

For whatever reason, the celebration was postponed until the 9^th of September. Locals met Rev. J. W. Lewis of Toledo, J. P. Green of Cleveland, and other distinguished guests at the railroad depot as the morning trains arrived. The procession, numbering more than 200, formed in front of the courthouse. 

The Clyde Band led off the parade followed by the speakers of the day. Behind them came wagons and carriages filled with both locals and out-of-towners. They wound their way through Fremont’s major streets and then headed for the fairgrounds. There, they gathered in the grandstand, eating picnic lunches as they listened to the speakers.

Rev. Claybrooks read letters of regret from President Hayes and the Honorable Charles Foster. A reading of the near-sacred Emancipation Proclamation followed. Then J. P. Green took to the stand and declared to all that “knowledge is power” and “we must educate ourselves.” He explained that he was firmly against the emigration of freedmen to Africa. Green declared that we are all Americans. We helped “cut away the forests, build canals, railroads, and cities, and fought for the Union.” While opposed to emigration, Green believed in the settlement of the West.  They had helped and would continue to help make the country what it is - the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

After Green’s uplifting speech, Prosecuting Attorney John Garver spoke on behalf of the town.  The Clyde Band “serenaded” the visitors who then gave three cheers for the mayor and the city council. That evening a large festival was held at the city hall where former mayor Homer Everett addressed the crowds.  To cap off the celebration, everyone enjoyed a grand ball at the Opera House.   

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