gadsby heirs on an adjacent to lafayette square. this 1864 map shows decatur house and the slave quarters as part of the complex of buildings planned by the quartermaster general. it is clear from correspondence by commissary general a.b. eaton that the military wanted to use the second floor of the slave quarters to house subsistence bureau, civilian and military personnel. the commissary general vacated decatur house in 1874, turning it over to edward beal who purchased it from the gadsby heirs. edward beal and his wife mary made extensive renovations to the decatur house during the first years of their ownership. but the only significant change made to slave quarters was in stall agency of a new slate roof over the original wood shingle roof, likely around 1875. the earliest known photograph of slave quarters is this 1885

image, in which the north elevation of the slave quarters is barely visible over here. but you get the sense of it, its size and shape. the african-american men pictured in the foreground could have been servants living in the slave quarters. i am going to continue to use that term to talk about the building, not only because it makes clear the original intent of its construction, but also because it was its vernacular name used for it across the 20th century. 1880 census listed three african-american servants, william hanson, john smith, and elizabeth abby living in the house of edward beal. by 1900, the population of servants living on the property had doubled. of the six servants living on the property, five were classified by the census as black. mazie worked as a reader. ellen, a ladies made. emma thomas worked as a land

dress and was the only married servant in the household. lloyd lyles, a coach man, aid adolph bird worked as a butler. only one of the african-american servants had been born while slavery was still legal in the united states and she was the only servant on lafayette square listed as unable to read or write. the only white servant listed in the decatur household was born in austria, and he was the first live-in servant from europe recorded at decatur house. now, this image of the slave quarters taken between 1918 and 1920 offers the first truly detailed record of the building's appearance. and it shows how little the exterior of the building changed. the only real major differences of how this portion of the building still appears is that there's one additional door providing access to h street and no shutters on that side of the building at this point. the next census to record servants living at the decatur

house was the 1930 census, which you see here and was the last federal census currently available. all four servants listed were female and literate. two had been born in europe, and kate hollis, the only servant in the household classified by the census as negro had been born in virginia, and she worked as a cook. on the top left, you see a photograph of the north elevation of the slave quarters taken in 1936. again, showing no changes to this side of the building. at the same time, the historic american building survey made the first known photograph of the courtyard side of the building, again which remains relatively unchanged. the historic american building survey also produced elevations and floor plans of the slave quarters in 1937. but no interior photographs. these floor plans assign uses to all interior spaces in slave quarters, demonstrating few changes from uses in the 1844 inventory.

moving westward through the building in 1937, the first floor containeder have vanity's dining room, a kitchen, a laundry, and a small bathroom. on the second floor, two rooms at the east end are servants rooms as they have been in 1844. the beal family owned decatur house until 1956, and their financial records show that the only major change made to the building was the addition of shutters on the h street side in 1944. marie beal in correspondence in 1948 described the building as a shambles. and in the last stages of decay. but she also indicated that it was being fully utilized by her household at that time. when marie beal died in 1956, she bequeathed the decatur house to the national trust for historic preservation. cesar and ida you see pictured

who had emigrated from italy to work as servants for marie beal in 1951 continued to live in the slave quarters with their four children until 1961, making them the last residents of the building, and indeed the last private residents of lafayette square. the top right photograph shows the eldest child, claudia, in slave quarters with the last african-american resident of the building, a woman named mary who worked as a cook in marie beal's household, and she left the property in the early 1950s. these photographs while they sort of look like family snapshots are actually the only documentation of the interior of the slave quarters while it was being used as a living space that we have been able to uncover. and they indicate it was fundamentally unchanged likely from its original appearance. we see plain plaster walls, simple window and door casings, and absence of any other architectural decoration. we also can see the conduits for modern improvements, radiators,

plumbing, electricity had been surface-mounted on to the original walls and ceilings. the national trust considered a number of possible uses for the building in the early 1960s and from 1965 to 1966, the historic interior of the slave quarters was effectively demolished to create office space for the organization. during this construction, almost all interior wall partitions and you see one of those here on the right, you see how thin they were. they were effectively board walls. all of these partitions were removed. all the trim and mantles, and the dark ghost mark of a mantle in the photograph on the left. all the trim and man tells were removed, interior plaster and doors and hardware were removed. now today, of course, we would hope these features would be seen as character defining components, worthy of conservation and preservation, but this was not part of the calculus in 1965. while national trust need for

office space guided their decisions in part, it's also very clear from the condolence surrounding the project, that the interior of the building was gutted because it wasn't deemed worthy of saving. within the field of historic preservation, it would be decades before buildings associated with slavery or other aspects of african-american history would be deemed worthy of careful conservation. once the walls were stripped clean, all the wood flooring on the first floor was removed, and chimneys and hearths were enclosed in new walls. and the only real change to the exterior was at the western end of the second story it was extended to create a continuous sort of two-story facade all the way to the carriage house, and a second door opening, you see it cut there, on to h street was added. during conversion of second floor into exhibit gallery in 2001, the first attempt was made by the national trust to uncover, conserve, interpret the building's remaining historic fabric.

one chimney and a section of wall framing were left uncovered and formed the basis of an exhibition on urban slavery. in 2008, the first section of the original painted floor, you see there it on the left, the original painted floor was uncovered. this work was completed, exposing the entire original painted floor in 2010. this floor has a great deal to tell us. in 2011 and 2012 we continued to carefully remove the remaining modern finishes, fully exposing remaining chimneys and hearth on the first and second floors. with each new feature revealed, we've learned something now about this building. paint analysis are under way and may help us pinpoint the date of construction and better understand how the building changed over time.

further research is under way on all those listed as enslaved people and servants i mentioned today. this remarkable building told us so much already. it has much more to tell. we need only to listen. thank you for listening today. [ applause ] . on washington journal tomorrow morning, we'll discuss the 2012 campaign with richard land, head of the ethics and religious liberty commission of the southern baptist convention. and we'll look at the commission of the u.s. institute of peace and its work in afghanistan, pakistan, and syria. we'll be joined by the institute's president, richard solomon, the head of its afghanistan program, andrew wilder, and steve haydeman. washington journal is live on c-span every day at 7:00 p.m. eastern. we now continue our look at american history tv in prime time with another program on the history and lives of african-americans in 18th and

19th century washington, d.c. next a look at the gadsby family and slave trading in the nation's capital with alexandra lane. she is the reproductions coordinator for the white house historical association. this is close to an hour. >> thank you. we have just learned about -- perfect. thank you. we have just learned about an important space in the history of decatur house in the nation's capital in our last presentation. now we'll hear about one of the many owners of the house, john gadsby. along with his business interests in washington and how he associated with the slave trade. as katherine mentioned this morning, we do know the names of those enslaved men, women, and children who were living in the

decatur house corridors. at gadsby's death, whether the corridors played a role in the slave trade remains elusive. the early results of alexander lane's research shows it predates gadsby's residence on the square, but it does raise questions and seek resolution as her work goes forward in the future. alexandra came to the house historical association by way of a national trust internship that she served while concluding the graduate program in public history at american university. now on our staff, she has an opportunity to continue this exciting research. please welcome alexandra lane. good morning and thank you, john, for that wonderful introduction. i'd like to thank the white house historical association for giving me the opportunity to present my research here to you

today. and thank you, everyone, for coming out. john gadsby is a controversial figure in decatur house's long history. the main questions that arise are whether he was a slave trader or involved in the trade. while it is unlikely he sold people out of decatur house, his hotel business was deeply intertwined with human trafficking. he and his son, william gadsby's fortunes rested on slave trafficking in the upper south. historian a.k. sandoval strauss tells us whatever hotel size, class, and drawing power, it played the essential urbanistic role of tying its community into the expanding networks of commerce, politics, and association. gadsby's tavern, the indian queen and the national hotel function as a microcosm of the upper south society and culture. displaying the best the area had

to offer, but also reveals one of its worst aspects, the slave trade. john gadsby's wealth depended on lively patronage, but also on the pain and suffering of enslaved people he bought and sold. like other masters throughout the upper south, john gadsby excused human trafficking to make money. gadsby was by no means operating on the level of alexandria's franklin and armfelt, who sold hundreds of people throughout the 1830s and '40s. he only sold a few people at a time. particularly where he could make a handsome profit. his son william also cast a shadow on his reputation. he followed his father into the hotel business. unlike his father, he was publicly named as a traitor by abolitionists. williams' participation in human trafficking coupled with new evidence from newspapers and anti-slavery tracts helps illuminate gadsby's own involvement. john gadsby's illustrious career

as a hotel owner is storied, whereas william gadsby's story are much murkier. john gadsby was born in england around 1776, immigrated to america after the revolution and arrived in alexandria in 1785. 1795. he then leased a tavern from john wise around 1800 and demonstrated his aptitude for business turning into gadsby's tavern where he entertained george washington and other notables like jefferson and john adams. he later put the tavern and farm up for lease and left for baltimore in 1808 where he became the proprietor of the plush hotel the indian queen, which he later sells to david barn ham in 1819. around 1822 he moved to washington, d.c. and opened the franklin hotel in 1823 and later at the pinnacle of his career builds the national hotel where he entertained presidents such as andrew jackson, hosted

congressmen and welcomed various foreign dignitaries. the national was host to a flurry of balls, galas, and meetings of the washington's elite. john gadsby moved into the upper echelons of society by announcing his retirement from the hotel business and acquiring decatur house in 1836. he then continued the entertaining he was well known for as a hotelier. he died in 1844 and bequeathed 17 enslaved people to his wife probbie gadsby. his son on the other hand leaves little in the historical record. williams gadsby was born in 1810 presumably in baltimore. it is possible he opened a cigar and fine goods shop when he was 19 in 1829 and later when his father retired in 1836. he took over the national hotel. in 1844 soon after his father's death he sells the national hotel and moves to a hotel named

gadsby's, a smaller hotel a few blocks away. around 1856 he ends up selling this hotel due to problems with debt and becomes a government clerk. the common thread between the two is again they're both in the hotel business and as i show in my paper, they're both small time slave traders. while john gadsby's various hotels appear to be the site of slave trading, accusations against him do not arise until he moves into the famed decatur house. one of the most cited accusations comes from a private letter of a french diplomat to a friend. in 1840 adolf writes some days ago i went to an evening party at gadsby's, the proprietor of the hotel where i stayed on my arrival here, which he has relinquished to his son. he's an old retch who made his fortune in the slave trade which does not provide washington society from rushing to his house. i should make my government unhappy if i refuse to associate

with these kind of people. marie beale who bequeathed decatur house to the national trust for historic preservation in 1956 and also wrote a history of lafayette square, she states that john gadsby's stay there was an unfortunate chapter in the house's long history. he turned the house into an auction block. you could hear the wails and cries of unfortunate people being sold down south as you walked past eighth street. however, this is regarded in part as hearsay. there has been much dispute among scholars about how much john gadsby could have been involved in the slave trade if at all. sarah fanny who worked as a research fellow for the national trust did exhaustive work on john gadsby. she argued that gadsby was a victim of anti-americanism from adolf and snobbery from people like marie beal, who may have

revealed him as a self-made man as an intrusion upon the square. conversely, carla jones argues in his master's thee tis t hidden history of lafayette square, given the veiled but deeply intertwined nature of slavery in the square, gadsby's association with the slave trade is a great possibility. determining if john gadsby participated in the slave trade is more difficult to pinpoint since it's likely he was involved in private sales. in an 1842 article in the anti-slavery publication "the watchman" an article appeared called "manhunters in washington, d.c." the author discusses the vial vile practice of slave kidnapping and the levels of slave trading within the city. one speculated the time was right for selling enslaved people. they accused the unfortunate people of wrongdoing to justify their sell and to cover up their misdeeds.

historian christopher philips no notes it was popular to sell men whose slave trade was valued greatly due to their ability to serve in a variety of roles from domestics to field hands. an example is the case of charles henry wood, a young man who gadsby intended to sell in 1836 a few months before he moved to decatur house. gadsby purchased him april 1st, 1834. he attempted to sell charles to a man in richmond for 24 years rather than the 20 left in servitude. charles wood was a term slave, meaning he would be emancipated after a period of enslavement rather than his entire life. when the man realized the discrepancy, he returned charles wood to john gadsby. gadsby then tried to sell him again, but charles wood was able to sue him in court for attempting to add time to his servitude. in response to the complaint john gadsby had the right to sell him because charles was a thief and not fit to work in a public hotel. furthermore, the problem with the discrepancy was just a

misunderstanding on the part of his auctioneer, charles dyer. when he realized his mistake he would sell charles for the appropriate 20-year period. however, unfortunately for gadsby, charles -- the court ruled and good for charles woods, they ruled in his favor and decreed that john gadsby cannot sell him. the case does demonstrate the callous disregard and even chick cannery on to make a sale. sales like these were not uncommon, adding a few years to charles's servitude would have made him more valuable. however, does this make him a slave trade or heavily involved in the slave trade? it's time to turn to his hotels in baltimore, washington, d.c. and alexandria which were all hubs for slave trading. from the 1790s to the 1810s, 40,000 to 50,000 enslaved people were sent from the upper to the lower south either through the slave trade or plan to migration. historians attribute

approximately 30% to 50% of these movements were due to the domestic slave trade. during the years of 1820 to 1860 approximately 875,000 enslaved people were forced to migrate from the upper to the lower south. it is estimated the slave trade accounted for at least 60 to 70 of those movements. sorry about that. alexandria during john gadsby's time from the 1700s to the 1810s teamed with slave trading businesses, particularly because it was a port city and it allowed for easy shipping. slave traders operated in taverns and hotels in places like king and duke street. african-americans had few protections whether they were free or enslaved, and free people were in danger of being sold if they denied free passes or not registered in accordance with the laws. however, there was a substantial population of african-americans

allowing them to form a strong community. nonetheless, between restrictive codes and slave trading, life for free and enslaved black alexandrians was a difficult one. how did john gadsby figure into the slave trade? during his time in alexandria, legal records indicate he sold at least six people from 1797 to 1801. in 1800 he owned 11 enslaved people age 16 or above. john gadsby also advertised for ten people to purchase or hire along with four runaways. interestingly, most of the runaways and the people he wanted to purchase for men for specific jobs. for instance, he requests blacksmiths and men accustomed to plantation work. when selling one of his farms, he notes he has valuable field hands for sale. it was common practice to buy and sell enslaved people in taverns and hotels. in an advertisement he states he's looking for families of enslaved people for a farm not to be sold or bartered for, but

to be removed to a good situation. it is unlikely known how many enslaved people were bought or sold based on the advertisement, given it asks for a number of prime negroes and welcomes whole families, it was probably a substantial number. another indication he might have allowed dealing in his tavern is he held an enslaved man named moses for a mr. marshall who possibly duped moses into coming with him to alexandria. after his master died, moses was sold to a man from new orleans. mr. marshall managed to enslave him from the man and travelled to new york to get his freedom, and then left him in the care of john gadsby. any records in the involvement in slave trading in 1808 -- end around 1808 when hep leaves for baltimore. in baltimore, john gadsby continued to use enslaved labor at his indian queen hotel. however, for african-americans, the climate and slavery --

sorry, the climate of slavery and their conditions were somewhat better. the postwar depression inspired a switch to the less labor intensive wheat and corn as cash crops, limiting the need for enslaved people. while many owners sold the people they enslaved, many more man you -- manumented people. so many that laws were passed to curb it. however, there were more missions leading to term slavery. another option was self-purchase in which enslaved people grad earned the money to buy their freedom or the freedom of their family members. however, owning enslaved people still remained a status symbol in baltimore. free african-americans during this time were limited by their economic opportunities and further pinned in by racist attitudes. john gadsby himself didn't hire free african-americans at the indian queen which was regarded as one of the plushest hotels in baltimore. the club-like hotel had a reading room as well as baths for customers. it was unusual for the large number of enslaved people.

however, given the sumptuous dinners and lavish setting he offered his clientele, he needed a large domestic force. the census records list him as having 45 enslaved people in 1810. the advertisements tell the story again of any involvement of the slave trade. during the years 1810 to 1818 he asked for 32 to 36 people to work in his hotel. he notes he prefers to purchase rather than hire enslaved people. some of the advertisements specifically request people from the country as opposed to urban slaves which he considered spoiled and prone to running away. however, it could have been due to the fact that an enslaved person from the country may have had fewer connections and would have been easier to sell. the runaway ads also demonstrate gadsby bought and sold people. for instance, we know from a

jail ad, basically an ad that would say come get this person, they've runaway, he sold a 20 or 21-year-old man named william to a slave trader from new orleans in 1812. he had previously placed a runaway ad for william when he left when he was 18 in 1810. i guess he managed to get him back. another runaway advertisement for a bench man journey who was purchased from the countryside which disrupts his theory, mostly urban slaves were prone to runaway. there were nine runaways in total, mostly young men likely to be sold adds field hands. this was due to a particularly lucrative market in new orleans spurred by the growth of louisiana sugar plantations. the only woman john gadsby took out advertisements for was a mary, a young woman who ran away with her recently vaccinated 12-month-old son. in mary's case, it appears he

recently purchased her in 1809 from a woman living four miles outside of baltimore. additionally he mentioned a man named joe downs who helped her escape and offered a substantial reward for his capture. in the same vein john gadsby took out a runaway advertisement for john howe and his mother. john howe is about 25 years old. his free mother, sarah howe was about 40 to 50. john gadsby offered reward for both of their captures. again, the evidence slows to a crawl in about 1818 just before gadsby sells his indian queen hotel. in 1819 he announced his retirement from the public life and sells his lands, livestock, coaches from his passenger and mail line and states 20 or 30 enslaved people were to be hired out. it is highly likely he sold many of the people he had in 1810 and may have purchased while he had the hotel in baltimore. the census record for 1820 states he only had 15 people, about a third of the people he had in 1810. there are no records that he

freed anyone. and even accounting for deaths and runaways it is very likely he sold at least 30 since he wouldn't have even had a place to house them. john gadsby stated he was retiring from the public life. it's clear that upon arriving in d.c. he did anything but. he purchased franklin house in 1823 and later in 1827 opened the national hotel, arguably the tour de force of his long career. the national hotel located on pennsylvania and third in what is now downtown washington bore a reputation for splendid accommodations and parties. the hotel had largely pro-southern sympathies, making ate popular place for prominent people and politicians from the region.

for its comforts and familiarity of slave domestic servants. again, it was impossible for him to run the hotel without the labor of african-americans. they are mostly enslaved people he owned or hired out from residents in the area. however, he did hire some free african-americans as well as whites to work at his hotel. many enslaved people were hired out or allowed to hire themselves out which permitted again for self-purchase. in many cases women worked typically as domestics or laundresses and men on the other hand did manual labor or worked as personal valets, coachmen or waiters. free and enslaved african-americans were closely bonded. they enter-married, and free people taught enslaved people to read and write. in spite of the close knit community african-americans experienced a mercurial existence. living conditions varied greatly. access to the people depended on the people who owned or hired them.