Negro Mountain
Encyclopedia
Negro Mountain is a 30 miles (48.3 km) long ridge of the Allegheny Mountains
extending from Deep Creek Lake
in Maryland
, north to the Casselman River
in Pennsylvania
, USA. The summit, Mount Davis
, is the highest point (3,213 feet) in Pennsylvania. Laurel Hill
flanks Negro Mountain to the west, with Allegheny Mountain to the east.
, so its prominence is of low relief. The mountain retains its elevation above 3000 feet (914.4 m) for much of its length, especially in Pennsylvania. The Negro Mountain Tunnel
, built for the South Pennsylvania Railroad
, is abandoned and was never used. The Mount Davis Natural Area on the Mountain is located within the Forbes State Forest
and many trails take hikers throughout this alpine
landscape.
Weather on the mountain is fierce, frost can occur at anytime of the year and winds and ice storms are common. Near the summit in Pennsylvania, the trees are stunted and circular rock formations from frost heave can be readily seen.
] or “Goliath” indicating his great strength or size — who accompanied the whites and died valiantly during the fight. The most popular version of the story takes place during the French and Indian War
, in the year 1756, when frontiersman Colonel Thomas Cresap
is known to have led a force against Native Americans on the mountain. A member of his force, a black slave or a scout named "Nemisis," was killed in the battle. The mountain was accordingly named "Negro Mountain" in his honor.
Another version of the story has a Captain Andrew Friend on a hunting trip on the mountain with a few companions. The party was attacked by Indians and during the ensuing skirmish, an African-American servant of Friend was gravely wounded and died the following morning on the mountain. Again, the mountain where he died defending the life of his master was named in his honor.
Yet another version, this time from local family lore, tells of:
The Cresap version is supported by the fact that Cresap is known to have written an account of such an expedition for Benjamin Franklin
's Pennsylvania Gazette
of June 17, 1756 mentioning that "an old Negro presented his gun at [the Indians]". The Maryland Gazette had already described the same expedition on June 10, 1756, mentioning that a "free Negro" had been killed with the English.
State Representative Rosita C. Youngblood
(Democrat of Philadelphia’s 198th District) called for the renaming of Negro Mountain. In a news release, she said, “Through a school project, my son and granddaughter first informed me of the name of this range and I found it to be disparaging that we have one of our great works of nature named as such… I find it disheartening for tourists who visit this range to see the plaque with the name Negro Mountain displayed on the mountainside.”
However, Professor Christopher Bracey, a law professor and associate professor of African and African-American studies at Washington University in St. Louis
has said, “I must confess I have a slightly different take on it than [Youngblood]… Here we have a mountain, whose name was intended to be a testament to Negro bravery. It seems rather crass and unsophisticated to name it Negro Mountain, but the intentions were strong.”
On 1 August 2007, Youngblood and other lawmakers introduced House Resolution No. 378 resolving that the governor “form a commission …to study the naming of Negro Mountain and Mount Davis …[to] adopt names that accurately reflect the history of the region and the heroism displayed by the African American in the Negro Mountain conflict of 1756” and accordingly to alter “brochures, plaques and signs [to] accurately reflect the facts of this heroic historical event”. (The 1921 naming of Mount Davis is now also considered controversial because it honors the white settler who once owned the land, rather than the colonial African-American.)
In February 2011, nine Maryland State Senators introduced a bill to rename Negro Mountain and Polish Mountain
. All four Western Maryland representatives testified against the proposed bill, which was voted down in committee.
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
extending from Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake
Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in the state of Maryland. It covers approximately and has of shoreline. Like all lakes in Maryland, it is man-made. The lake is home to a wide variety of freshwater fish and aquatic birds. The Wisp ski resort is located nearby...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, north to the Casselman River
Casselman River
The Casselman River is a tributary of the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United States.The Casselman River rises atop the plateau of western Maryland and then follows a great arc across the Laurel Highlands of Somerset County, Pennsylvania to the appropriately named...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA. The summit, Mount Davis
Mount Davis (Pennsylvania)
Mount Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania. Located in the 5,685 acre Forbes State Forest in Elk Lick Township, Somerset County, it rises to 3,213 ft...
, is the highest point (3,213 feet) in Pennsylvania. Laurel Hill
Laurel Hill (Pennsylvania)
Laurel Hill, also known as Laurel Ridge or Laurel Mountain, is a long mountain in Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains. This ridge is flanked by Negro Mountain to its east and Chestnut Ridge to its west. The mountain is home to six State Parks; Laurel Ridge State Park, Laurel Mountain State Park,...
flanks Negro Mountain to the west, with Allegheny Mountain to the east.
Geography and climate
The mountain is flattish in appearance due to its location on the Allegheny PlateauAllegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...
, so its prominence is of low relief. The mountain retains its elevation above 3000 feet (914.4 m) for much of its length, especially in Pennsylvania. The Negro Mountain Tunnel
Negro Mountain Tunnel
The Negro Mountain Tunnel is a tunnel located in Negro Mountain in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It was built by New York Central Railroad as part of the stillborn South Pennsylvania Railroad, which over time became known as "Vanderbilt's Folly"...
, built for the South Pennsylvania Railroad
South Pennsylvania Railroad
The South Pennsylvania Railroad is the name given to two proposed but never completed Pennsylvania railroads in the nineteenth-century. Parts of the right of way for the second South Pennsylvania Railroad were reused for the Pennsylvania Turnpike....
, is abandoned and was never used. The Mount Davis Natural Area on the Mountain is located within the Forbes State Forest
Forbes State Forest
Forbes State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #4. The main offices are located in Laughlintown in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Pennsylvania, is located in the forest.The forest was named...
and many trails take hikers throughout this alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
landscape.
Weather on the mountain is fierce, frost can occur at anytime of the year and winds and ice storms are common. Near the summit in Pennsylvania, the trees are stunted and circular rock formations from frost heave can be readily seen.
History
Details behind the naming of Negro Mountain are not precisely known and a number of local stories have circulated in the past. The various stories seem to share, however, a couple of elements. One is that of a band of white soldiers or hunters skirmishing with Indians on the mountain during colonial times. The other is the presence with the whites of an African-American companion — variously named “Nemisis” [sicSic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
] or “Goliath” indicating his great strength or size — who accompanied the whites and died valiantly during the fight. The most popular version of the story takes place during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, in the year 1756, when frontiersman Colonel Thomas Cresap
Thomas Cresap
Colonel Thomas Cresap was an English-born pioneer settler in the state of Maryland, and an agent of Lord Baltimore in the Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary dispute. During the dispute, Cresap became a notorious figure in the Conejohela Flats areathe Susquehanna Valley in the area south of Wright's...
is known to have led a force against Native Americans on the mountain. A member of his force, a black slave or a scout named "Nemisis," was killed in the battle. The mountain was accordingly named "Negro Mountain" in his honor.
Another version of the story has a Captain Andrew Friend on a hunting trip on the mountain with a few companions. The party was attacked by Indians and during the ensuing skirmish, an African-American servant of Friend was gravely wounded and died the following morning on the mountain. Again, the mountain where he died defending the life of his master was named in his honor.
Yet another version, this time from local family lore, tells of:
The Cresap version is supported by the fact that Cresap is known to have written an account of such an expedition for Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
's Pennsylvania Gazette
Pennsylvania Gazette
The Pennsylvania Gazette was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728, before the time period of the American Revolution, until 1815...
of June 17, 1756 mentioning that "an old Negro presented his gun at [the Indians]". The Maryland Gazette had already described the same expedition on June 10, 1756, mentioning that a "free Negro" had been killed with the English.
Controversy
In July 2007, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
State Representative Rosita C. Youngblood
Rosita Youngblood
Rosita C. Youngblood is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 198th District since a special election on April 5, 1994 to fill vacancy-External links:* official PA House website* profile...
(Democrat of Philadelphia’s 198th District) called for the renaming of Negro Mountain. In a news release, she said, “Through a school project, my son and granddaughter first informed me of the name of this range and I found it to be disparaging that we have one of our great works of nature named as such… I find it disheartening for tourists who visit this range to see the plaque with the name Negro Mountain displayed on the mountainside.”
However, Professor Christopher Bracey, a law professor and associate professor of African and African-American studies at Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
has said, “I must confess I have a slightly different take on it than [Youngblood]… Here we have a mountain, whose name was intended to be a testament to Negro bravery. It seems rather crass and unsophisticated to name it Negro Mountain, but the intentions were strong.”
On 1 August 2007, Youngblood and other lawmakers introduced House Resolution No. 378 resolving that the governor “form a commission …to study the naming of Negro Mountain and Mount Davis …[to] adopt names that accurately reflect the history of the region and the heroism displayed by the African American in the Negro Mountain conflict of 1756” and accordingly to alter “brochures, plaques and signs [to] accurately reflect the facts of this heroic historical event”. (The 1921 naming of Mount Davis is now also considered controversial because it honors the white settler who once owned the land, rather than the colonial African-American.)
In February 2011, nine Maryland State Senators introduced a bill to rename Negro Mountain and Polish Mountain
Polish Mountain
Polish Mountain is located in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. It borders on Town Creek Tributary on the east, north of Town Creek, and extending northeastward into Pennsylvania. Its highest elevation is 1,800 feet....
. All four Western Maryland representatives testified against the proposed bill, which was voted down in committee.
Other sources
- Wynn, Anita (2006), “The Story of Nemisis and Negro Mountain: How Far Should You Go in Reading a Public Sign?”, Anthropology News, Vol. 47 Issue 7, pp 18–19; (Published Online: 24 Dec 2008); American Anthropological AssociationAmerican Anthropological AssociationThe American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
; DOI: 10.1525/an.2006.47.7.18.