721-723 N. 2nd St, (ante-1842), St. Louis, MO
St. Louis, MO (est. 1764. pop. ~300K) • Laclede's Landing
• part of the Morgan St. Brewery complex • originally the Schoellhorn-Albrecht Machine Co. factory • because it was built prior the modern street grid, the slope of the Morgan St. windows doesn’t match the current grade of the road • among the oldest structures in Laclede’s Landing • early silversmith and abolitionist Meyer Friede (1821-1888), an immigrant from Germany & Missouri’s first Jewish legislator, was a resident here in the 1860s
• the Schoelhorn-Albrecht Machine Company was housed here, manufacturing capstans for Mississippi River barges and shipping steamboat engines and deck equipment used during the Gold Rush • underneath the sidewalk is a cellar room that was purportedly used to hide runaway slaves en route to Illinois, a free state just across the river
• property was cleared in 1791 • by the mid-1800s, wealthy black residents owned land in the entertainment district along the riverfront • the settlement expanded rapidly, attracting new arrivals seeking opportunity
• Don Santiago Clamorgan, aka Jacques Phillipe Clamorgan (1734-1814), was involved in the slave trade between Jamaica & New Orleans • is thought to have been of Welsh, Portuguese, Spanish & possibly African heritage
• immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti in the 1780s, as did his Hatian friend & future founder of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (c.1745-1814) • for a time, the two roomed together in Peoria, IL • in 1781 Clamorgan arrived in St. Louis, then under Spanish Rule • became a wealthy fur trader • laid claim to over 1MM acres of Upper Louisiana land • in response, the govt. offered $8MM (in 2011 $USD) for the property, which Clamorgan refused
• a Clamorgan contemporary quipped “He was endowed with a tremendous imagination, together with an illusive pen and a glib tongue. His ability to put vast dreams onto paper and persuade all of their reality was envied by all. This island ‘Creole’ managed his affairs in such a manner that even his enemies (and they were not few in number) could not fail to recognize his talents.” —Cast Iron Building History
• never married • had 4 black concubines, 3 of whom were slaves, the other, Hélène, free • among the slaves was Virginia-born Esther (c.1753-1833), an illiterate bi-lingual (French & English) mulattress taken by Clamorgan at Kaskaskia, IL in 1784, when her master, the Rev. Ichabod Camp (1725-1786), defaulted on a debt • later, Clamorgan went into debt himself to purchase Esther's daughter, Celée (aka Sile, Siley) to keep the two together
• Esther became Clamorgan’s housekeeper & business adviser • managed his farms & slaves • he was said to have been physically abusive • had no children w/ Esther, but w/ Hélène, Susanne & Julie he fathered 4 mixed-race children, 3 boys & a girl, all legitimized on his deathbed • his grandson, Cyprian Clamorgan (1830-1902) wrote:
"Instead of taking a white wife, he had chosen to live exclusively with women of color, all of them at one time or another his slaves. He did what he could for his mulatto children, the youngest of whom he fathered at age 73. He had them baptized at the Cathedral of St. Louis, and manumitted them. Given the confused state of his finances at the time of his death, that action was an important consideration. Had Morgan not formally freed his children, his creditors could have sold them as slaves." —The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis, 1858
• in 1793, prior to taking on a risky business venture, Clamorgan freed Esther & sold Celée to her • this enabled him to transfer land grants — which included the site of this bldg. — to Esther, ostensibly to shield the valuable property from from a potential bankruptcy • it is said to be the 1st St. Louis land grant awarded to a black woman • now landed & free, Esther tended the orchard & treated the property as her own
• as Clamorgan's business manager, Esther began to resist putting her mark without question on every piece of paper he gave her to sign • in 1797, his behavior having become unbearable, she left him, taking her deeds with her • when Clamorgan’s venture failed he sought to recover the property but Esther refused to surrender it • Clamorgan threatened to take possession of Esther’s daughter & bring sell her at the New Orleans slave market • the ensuing lawsuits lasted for years, even after Clamorgan's death —Exploring St. Louis
Esther eventually won & lived out her life as a businesswoman, one of the richest African Americans in St. Louis
• Laclede's Landing, National Register # 76002262, 1976
721-723 N. 2nd St, (ante-1842), St. Louis, MO
St. Louis, MO (est. 1764. pop. ~300K) • Laclede's Landing
• part of the Morgan St. Brewery complex • originally the Schoellhorn-Albrecht Machine Co. factory • because it was built prior the modern street grid, the slope of the Morgan St. windows doesn’t match the current grade of the road • among the oldest structures in Laclede’s Landing • early silversmith and abolitionist Meyer Friede (1821-1888), an immigrant from Germany & Missouri’s first Jewish legislator, was a resident here in the 1860s
• the Schoelhorn-Albrecht Machine Company was housed here, manufacturing capstans for Mississippi River barges and shipping steamboat engines and deck equipment used during the Gold Rush • underneath the sidewalk is a cellar room that was purportedly used to hide runaway slaves en route to Illinois, a free state just across the river
• property was cleared in 1791 • by the mid-1800s, wealthy black residents owned land in the entertainment district along the riverfront • the settlement expanded rapidly, attracting new arrivals seeking opportunity
• Don Santiago Clamorgan, aka Jacques Phillipe Clamorgan (1734-1814), was involved in the slave trade between Jamaica & New Orleans • is thought to have been of Welsh, Portuguese, Spanish & possibly African heritage
• immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti in the 1780s, as did his Hatian friend & future founder of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (c.1745-1814) • for a time, the two roomed together in Peoria, IL • in 1781 Clamorgan arrived in St. Louis, then under Spanish Rule • became a wealthy fur trader • laid claim to over 1MM acres of Upper Louisiana land • in response, the govt. offered $8MM (in 2011 $USD) for the property, which Clamorgan refused
• a Clamorgan contemporary quipped “He was endowed with a tremendous imagination, together with an illusive pen and a glib tongue. His ability to put vast dreams onto paper and persuade all of their reality was envied by all. This island ‘Creole’ managed his affairs in such a manner that even his enemies (and they were not few in number) could not fail to recognize his talents.” —Cast Iron Building History
• never married • had 4 black concubines, 3 of whom were slaves, the other, Hélène, free • among the slaves was Virginia-born Esther (c.1753-1833), an illiterate bi-lingual (French & English) mulattress taken by Clamorgan at Kaskaskia, IL in 1784, when her master, the Rev. Ichabod Camp (1725-1786), defaulted on a debt • later, Clamorgan went into debt himself to purchase Esther's daughter, Celée (aka Sile, Siley) to keep the two together
• Esther became Clamorgan’s housekeeper & business adviser • managed his farms & slaves • he was said to have been physically abusive • had no children w/ Esther, but w/ Hélène, Susanne & Julie he fathered 4 mixed-race children, 3 boys & a girl, all legitimized on his deathbed • his grandson, Cyprian Clamorgan (1830-1902) wrote:
"Instead of taking a white wife, he had chosen to live exclusively with women of color, all of them at one time or another his slaves. He did what he could for his mulatto children, the youngest of whom he fathered at age 73. He had them baptized at the Cathedral of St. Louis, and manumitted them. Given the confused state of his finances at the time of his death, that action was an important consideration. Had Morgan not formally freed his children, his creditors could have sold them as slaves." —The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis, 1858
• in 1793, prior to taking on a risky business venture, Clamorgan freed Esther & sold Celée to her • this enabled him to transfer land grants — which included the site of this bldg. — to Esther, ostensibly to shield the valuable property from from a potential bankruptcy • it is said to be the 1st St. Louis land grant awarded to a black woman • now landed & free, Esther tended the orchard & treated the property as her own
• as Clamorgan's business manager, Esther began to resist putting her mark without question on every piece of paper he gave her to sign • in 1797, his behavior having become unbearable, she left him, taking her deeds with her • when Clamorgan’s venture failed he sought to recover the property but Esther refused to surrender it • Clamorgan threatened to take possession of Esther’s daughter & bring sell her at the New Orleans slave market • the ensuing lawsuits lasted for years, even after Clamorgan's death —Exploring St. Louis
Esther eventually won & lived out her life as a businesswoman, one of the richest African Americans in St. Louis
• Laclede's Landing, National Register # 76002262, 1976