Fort Wayne, IN - Johnny Appleseed

Each year the people of Fort Wayne invite visitors from throughout the nation to celebrate the pioneer spirit of John Chapman, better known as “Johnny Appleseed,” Chapman was a colorful character of the Indiana frontier in the early 1800’s.

One tale talks of a settler, living on the banks of the Ohio River, who encountered a bizarre raft coming down the river. It consisted of two canoes lashed together. The lone boatman was scantily dressed, barefoot, and he wore a tin pan for a head covering. He said his name was John Chapman and that the cargo in his canoes consisted of bags of apple seed, which he had gathered about the cider presses in New York and Pennsylvania, and that he intended to plant them and grow apple trees for the settlers. Following the streams and their tributaries he stopped and planted apple seeds wherever he found suitable ground for a nursery. He enclosed these spot with fences made of brush.

Each year he returned to care for the growing trees and to plant new nurseries. When settlers came he urged them to plant trees and advised them as to what varieties to plant. He kept ahead of the settlements and each year planted apple seeds farther west. For more than forty years he kept steadily at his work, and doubtless, there is no other region in the United States where the early settlers planted so many fruit trees as were grown in Johnny Appleseed’s territory. There still remain many orchards bearing fruit on trees taken from the Appleseed nurseries.

During the latter part of his life, Chapman traveled the countryside on foot, planting orchards in Fort Wayne and surrounding areas. In the process, he became a national folk hero and his gravesite in Fort Wayne’s Archer Park has been designated a national historic landmark.

Wilmington, DE - Our Moses

In 1813, a free black woman was kidnapped from Thomas Garrett’s home and sold into slavery. Garrett went after the kidnappers, took the woman back and returned home. This act would forever change Garrett and forge the path that he would walk the rest of his life.

He became an abolitionist, providing solace to runaway slaves. His home at 227 Shipley Street in Wilmington at once became a symbol of hope to slaves and a magnet for hatred from slave owners. For his efforts, he was brought to trial in the U.S. Circuit Court in 1848 charged with aiding runaway slaves. Guilty, he was fined $5,400. Garrett lost just about everything he had.

“Thomas,” the judge told him from the bench, “I hope you will never be caught at this business again.”

“Friend,” Garrett replied, “I haven’t a dollar in the world, but if thee knows a fugitive who needs a breakfast, send him to me.”

Garrett didn’t stop helping slaves. In fact, in 1860 Maryland state legislature passed a resolution for a $10,000 reward Garrett’s arrest on the grounds of “slave stealing”. Upon learning this, Garrett wrote t the legislature that for $20,000 he would turn himself in.

When the 15th Amendment to the Constitution stating that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” became law, many in Wilmington celebrated by carrying the Garrett through the streets, calling him “Our Moses.”


Sources: Picket, Russ, “A Delawarean That Made a Difference!” , Delaware Biographies, 1999

Bridgeport, CT - General Tom Thumb

Charles Sherwood Stratton in Bridgeport in 1838. 4 years later, he had only grown to 25 inches and weighed only 15 pounds (six pounds more than his birth weight).

In 1842, P. T. Barnum – circus master and collector of “Freaks” - discovered Charles and hired him away from his parents at only 4 years old. Barnum changed Stratton’s name to General Tom Thumb and essentially adopted him; teaching him reading, writing, arithmetic, and of course, showmanship, dancing and acting. Many of Thumb’s performances consisted of him dressing in historical costumes and performing a role for the audience’s amusement.

In January 1844, Barnum moved to Europe, and brought Tom as the main attraction. He was so popular in England that Thumb made two command appearances before Queen Victoria. The pair went on to tour France, Italy, Greece, and the rest of Europe. In 1863, on February 10, Tom Thumb married fellow midget Livinia Warren. These newlyweds stood atop a grand piano to receive 2,000 guests.

He died July 15, 1883. His funeral was attended by more than 10,000 people.