CHESTERTOWN — Washington College’s Miller Library has acquired a first edition of “The Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave.”
The autobiography details the life of a young man who escaped from enslavement in Chestertown, not far from the archives where the book now resides.
Mason’s biography details that 1846 escape, how he found freedom across the Pennsylvania border and his rise to become a distinguished American leader.
“His narrative offers a powerful firsthand account of the realities of enslavement and the struggle for freedom and provides invaluable insights into the experiences of African Americans in the 19th century,” a news release states.
The book’s acquisition — made possible through the collaboration of the Miller Library, the Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and a generous gift from the Women’s League of Washington College — brings a crucial piece of local and national history to the heart of the Chesapeake Bay region.
“This is a treasure of Eastern Shore history, of Chestertown history, and in fact, of American history,” Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of Washington College’s Starr Center, said in the news release.
Goodheart said Mason’s story has been researched by Washington College students, faculty and staff at the Starr Center for more than 20 years, and this first edition “brings his experiences to life in a tangible way.”
The acquisition is particularly significant as the Starr Center works to include Mason’s story in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Registry through the National Park Service, further solidifying the Chesapeake region’s role in the fight for freedom.
The book will reside in Miller Library’s special collections, making it accessible for researchers, students and the community.
The story of Isaac Mason also has inspired local artistic endeavors, including the musical “ISAAC: A Musical Journey” commissioned by the Kent Cultural Alliance for the Washington College Chesapeake Heartland Project and created by Kent County native Marlon Saunders. This underscores the enduring impact of Mason’s life on the region.
You can learn more about Isaac Mason through Enslaved.org.
Explore the Starr Center’s webpage https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/starr/index.php for additional information on its efforts to preserve and share American history.
