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“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”

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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Literature Fact

Did Mark Twain (1835-1910) ever borrow a cup of sugar from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)? Possibly, because they owned adjacent homes in the Nook Farm section of Hartford, Conn. Twain lived in his huge Hartford house from 1874 to 1891, during which time he wrote classic novels such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Stowe's impressive home was also no cabin! The Stowe and Twain dwellings remain today, and are open to the public. One highlight of a Twain tour is seeing footage of the author filmed by Thomas Edison in 1909 (the clip can also be viewed on YouTube). Watch it in a well-ventilated room, because Twain is smoking his ever-present cigar.

 Harriet was born today - June 14, 1811






"The object of these sketches is to awaken sympathy and feeling for the African race, as they exist among us; to show their wrongs and sorrows, under a system so necessarily cruel and unjust as to defeat and do away the good effects of all that can be attempted for them, by their best friends, under it.

--Harriet Beecher Stowe
Author's preface from Uncle Tom's Cabin


 
 You don't have to drive out East to see her house... well, one of her houses! She lived right here in Ohio and you can take a tour! Information is below this article.


Cedar Bog in the summer House in large lot.


The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is operated as an historical and cultural site, focusing on Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The site also includes a look into the family, friends, and colleagues of the Beecher-Stowe family, Lane Seminary, and the abolitionist, womens rights and Underground Railroad movements in which these historical figures participated in the 1830's to 1860's, as well as African-American history related to these movements

Cedar Bog in the summer The house was home to Harriet Beecher Stowe prior to her marriage and to her father, Rev. Lyman Beecher, and his large family, a prolific group of religious leaders, educators, writers, and antislavery and womens rights advocates. The Beecher family includes Harriet's sister, Catherine Beecher, an early female educator and writer who helped found numerous high schools and colleges for women; brother Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, a leader of the womens suffrage movement and considered by some to be the most eloquent minister of his time; General James Beecher, a Civil War general who commanded the first African-American troops in the Union Army recruited from the South; and sister Isabella Beecher Hooker, a womens rights advocate.

Cedar Bog in the summer The Beechers lived in Cincinnati for nearly 20 years, from 1832 to the early 1850's, before returning East. Shortly after leaving Cincinnati and basing her writing on her experiences in Cincinnati, in 1851-1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe authored the best-selling book of its time, Uncle Tom's Cabin, a fictionalized popular account of the pain slavery imposed on its victims and of the difficult struggles of slaves to escape and travel, on the Underground Railroad, to freedom in the northern states or Canada. Published just after the draconian fugitive slave laws were enacted by the US Congress in 1850, the book made Harriet Beecher Stowe's name a household word in the United States. Uncle Tom's Cabin has been published in over 75 languages and is still an important text used in schools all over the world. Written at a time when women did not vote, have legal rights, or even speak in public meetings, Uncle Tom's Cabin became an important part of the social fabric and thought that eventually caused the Civil War to break out and the southern slaves to be emancipated by President Abraham Lincoln, effective in 1863. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a remarkable example of how one person can make a huge impact to improve the lives of millions of people.

When Harriet Beecher Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, he is said to have exclaimed, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!"

The Stowe House offers cultural events and programming and the House and grounds are available to groups for rental for meetings and special events.

The adjoining grounds are maintained by the Cincinnati Park Board.

The site is operated by experienced volunteers. We are also seeking new volunteers to assist in a wide variety of activities at the Stowe House. Training is available. Please contact the volunteer coordinator if you are interested in helping to preserve the Stowe House and its heritage for future generations.

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 Tour the house!

Visitor Hours: May 1 - Labor Day
Tuesday 10 a.m - 2 p.m
Wednesday 10 a.m - 2 p.m
Thursday 10 a.m - 2 p.m
Saturday 10 a.m - 2 p.m
Federal Holidays CLOSED
Other Hours By appointment or chance
Hours: Labor Day - Thanksgiving
Thursday 10 a.m - 1 p.m
Saturday 10 a.m - 1 p.m
Federal Holidays CLOSED
Other Hours By appointment or chance
Hours: Thanksgiving - January 31:Closed
Hours: February 1 - April 30
Thursday 10 a.m - 1 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m - 1 p.m
Other Hours By appointment or chance

Hours: Year-Round
Last Sunday of the month a Cultural or Arts program will be offered. Call for details or to confirm time. 4 - 6 p.m.

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Admission

FREE School and tour groups welcome. Groups of 10 or more will be requested to make a contribution of $ 25 or more, depending on size of the group and the scheduling of the visit.


  Location

View Larger Map
Stowe House is located at 2950 Gilbert Avenue at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Gilbert Avenue (State Route 3 and US Route 22) in in the historic Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, in Hamilton County. It is accessible from I-71.


There is additional off-street parking across the street at Gilbert & Beecher, at the African-American Chamber of Commerce.
Cincinnati Metro Bus Route 1 stops in front of the House and also stops at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Zoo, and downtown attractions (Fare is $ 1 for adults).

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General Information
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
2950 Gilbert Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45206

Phone:
513.751.0651 (House) or, if no answer,
513.324.2218 (B. Furr)

Contact:
B. Furr, Volunteer Coordinator, Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Inc.

E.Mail:
stowehouse@zoomtown.com

Thank you for your interest in the Ohio Historical Society!

 

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