James Miller McKim
Encyclopedia
James Miller McKim was a Presbyterian minister
and abolitionist. He was also the father of the architect Charles Follen McKim
.
McKim was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
. Soon after the beginnings of the antislavery movement, he left the pulpit to devote himself to the cause of emancipation. He worked for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
as lecturer, organizer, and corresponding secretary. At times, he served as the editor
of the Pennsylvania Freeman.
In 1849, he was on the receiving end of an unusual and historic shipment, when Henry "Box" Brown
, an innovative and determined escaped slave from Richmond, Virginia
, arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in a small shipping box and emerged into freedom. McKim was depicted in the The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, a lithograph by artist Samuel W. Rowse
, which was widely published to help raise funds for the Underground Railroad
. Brown wrote his autobiography in 1851.
In 1859, Reverend McKim and his wife Sarah Allibone (née Speakman) McKim escorted Mary Brown, the wife of abolitionist John Brown
, to Virginia, after his failed raid there at Harper's Ferry. The McKims were accompanied in this effort by Hector Tyndale
, another Philadelphia abolitionist. After visiting her husband in jail in Charlestown, Virginia [today Charles Town, West Virginia], Mary Brown, along with the McKims and Tyndale, stayed in Harper's Ferry until after the John Brown's execution on December 2, 1859. The McKims prayed and held hands with Mary Brown until the hour of execution passed. Afterward, they assisted her in claiming Brown's body and escorted her northward, and at least McKim himself continued with her to North Elba, N.Y. (present-day Lake Placid) for the funeral service and interment.
As the American Civil War
dragged on, and, after President Lincoln
announced the emancipation
of the slaves in the South in 1863, McKim joined the Freedmen's Aid Commission and provided valuable services to that body.
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
and abolitionist. He was also the father of the architect Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....
.
McKim was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. Soon after the beginnings of the antislavery movement, he left the pulpit to devote himself to the cause of emancipation. He worked for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by James and Lucretia Mott in 1833.At the time, Pennsylvania was an openly racist state, withdrawing blacks' voting rights in 1838....
as lecturer, organizer, and corresponding secretary. At times, he served as the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Pennsylvania Freeman.
In 1849, he was on the receiving end of an unusual and historic shipment, when Henry "Box" Brown
Henry Box Brown
Henry "Box" Brown was a 19th century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom by arranging to have himself mailed to Philadelphia abolitionists in a wooden crate...
, an innovative and determined escaped slave from Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, arrived in Philadelphia, 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...
, in a small shipping box and emerged into freedom. McKim was depicted in the The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, a lithograph by artist Samuel W. Rowse
Samuel W. Rowse
Samuel Worcester Rowse was an American artist.-Works:His more famous works, mostly drawings in black and white, and in crayon, include:*Ralph Waldo Emerson *Nathaniel Hawthorne*Arthur Hugh Clough...
, which was widely published to help raise funds for the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. Brown wrote his autobiography in 1851.
In 1859, Reverend McKim and his wife Sarah Allibone (née Speakman) McKim escorted Mary Brown, the wife of abolitionist John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
, to Virginia, after his failed raid there at Harper's Ferry. The McKims were accompanied in this effort by Hector Tyndale
Hector Tyndale
Hector Tyndale was a Union general during the American Civil War rising to the rank of Brevet Major General of Volunteers. He notably led brigades at the battles of Antietam and Wauhatchie...
, another Philadelphia abolitionist. After visiting her husband in jail in Charlestown, Virginia [today Charles Town, West Virginia], Mary Brown, along with the McKims and Tyndale, stayed in Harper's Ferry until after the John Brown's execution on December 2, 1859. The McKims prayed and held hands with Mary Brown until the hour of execution passed. Afterward, they assisted her in claiming Brown's body and escorted her northward, and at least McKim himself continued with her to North Elba, N.Y. (present-day Lake Placid) for the funeral service and interment.
As the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
dragged on, and, after President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
announced the emancipation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
of the slaves in the South in 1863, McKim joined the Freedmen's Aid Commission and provided valuable services to that body.