From Enslaved to the Presidency / From Slavery to Liberation

From Enslaved to the Presidency / From Slavery to Liberation (HM2J7Z)

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N 38° 3.228', W 84° 30.031'

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1871

— Downtown African-American Heritage Trail —

From Enslaved to the Presidency


Finding Freedom in Africa

This site was originally part of the Glendower Estate, where Alfred Francis Russell was born enslaved in 1817. From these humble beginnings, he rose to become president of Liberia.

Russell lived enslaved with his mother, Milly Crawford, at Glendower until they were freed in 1833 by their owner, Mary Todd Russell Wickliffe—who they called Mrs. Polly. Her son from a previous marriage, John Russell, is believed to have fathered Alfred.

A hazardous journey

Through Mrs. Polly's gifts to the American Colonization Society, Russell and his mother migrated to Africa's west coast when he was 15. About a fourth of the 200 colonists died during the voyage.


From Slavery to Liberation


Alfred Russell Prospered Under Difficult Conditions

After leaving the Glendower Estate located here, Russell endured diseases and a scarcity of food in Liberia. By age 17, he walked with a crutch because of complications from a fever.

Nonetheless, the Lexington native was a success in the foreign land, becoming a teacher, Episcopalian minister, and sugar cane and coffee farmer.

Active in Liberian politics

In 1881, Russell



ran for vice president with Anthony W. Gardiner, who won the presidency for a third term. When health issues forced Gardiner to resign, Russell served as president of Liberia in 1883 and 1884.

While moving to Liberia had "almost cost us death seeking life," Russell once wrote, he was proud to be among those "who chose Africa and became seekers of Liberty."
Details
HM NumberHM2J7Z
Tags
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Year Placed2018
Placed ByTogether Lexington
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, July 29th, 2019 at 11:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 719304 N 4214733
Decimal Degrees38.05380000, -84.50051667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 3.228', W 84° 30.031'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 3' 13.68" N, 84° 30' 1.8599999999999" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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