(WBRE/WYOU) Mary Slaughter was born in 1837 on a plantation in West Virginia. After getting married and three having youngsters, Mary and her household moved to Williamsport in 1866 to lastly expertise freedom.
Mary Sieminski, Lycoming County Ladies’s Historical past Venture studied Mary Slaughter’s life and legacy. “They slot in immediately. They each had jobs. Her husband William was a janitor and a blacksmith. The kids went to high school; they by no means would’ve gone to high school in West Virginia the place they have been slaves”.
After Mr. Slaughter died in 1886 from tuberculosis at simply 50 years outdated, Mary was in want of some extra cash to outlive. That’s when she opened her residence to boarders.
“Most of those have been aged girls and that quickly developed into a house for ladies,” stated Sieminski.
Throughout that point there wasn’t any housing for aged black girls, so in 1899 Mary established a house for aged girls of coloration.
Sieminski stated she mortgaged her home to get extra money. She ultimately constructed a complete complicated, a complete new constructing.
As a slave, Mary by no means discovered to learn or write however that didn’t cease her. She was very decided and advocated for funding for her residence from political leaders.
As Sieminski explains, “Mary went to Harrisburg and she or he met with the home senate committee and she or he acquired the house for the aged coloured girls referred to as a charity so it acquired state funding.
Mary handed away in 1934 and is buried on the Wildwood Cemetery In Williamsport. The house was operating up till the 70s. It nonetheless stands immediately and is positioned at 124 Brandon Place. It’s at present an residence complicated.
Now, greater than 100 years later, Mary’s legacy continues to be remembered in the neighborhood.
Sieminski Of The Lycoming County Ladies’s Historical past Venture sums it up “I simply have nice admiration for her; utilizing her presents to help the group in that time period. That’s how I consider her.”