Barber Shop of Jacob C. Dickson
Dublin Core
Title
Barber Shop of Jacob C. Dickson
Description
Square stone pillar with two bronze plaques on the flat top of the marker which is angled at about 30 degrees. The plaque closest to the top of the marker is a bronze relief image of 5 people grouped together, pointing to the sky; they seem to be a family, with parents, two older children (son and daughter), and one small child. The son is holding a lantern and the daughter has a shawl with a star pattern draped over her uplifted arm. The second plaque is lower on the pillar face. It has a small silhouette of a person holding a lamp, and a barber's pole and a description of Jacob C. Dickson and the barber shop's role in the Anti-Slavery movement
Creator
Format
Coverage
Date Created
2007
Is Part Of
Medium
Granite
Bronze
Spatial Coverage
Temporal Coverage
1842
Historical Marker Item Type Metadata
Inscription
THE BARBER SHOP OF JACOB C. DICKSON ONCE STOOD AT 243 FORE STREET. HE WAS ELECTED SECRETARY OF THE PORTLAND UNION ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY ON JUNE 1, 1842
BARBER SHOPS WERE IMPORTANT CENTERS FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IN THE OPERATION OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. THE WIGS, BEARDS, AND OTHER FACIAL COVERINGS THEY SOLD COULD CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OF A PERSON. COOPERATING WITH HACK DRIVERS, DOMESTIC WORKERS, SECONDHAND CLOTHING DEALERS AND MARINERS, THEY WERE ESSENTIAL IN MOVING FUGITIVES TO FREEDOM IN CANADA AND ENGLAND
BARBER SHOPS WERE IMPORTANT CENTERS FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IN THE OPERATION OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. THE WIGS, BEARDS, AND OTHER FACIAL COVERINGS THEY SOLD COULD CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OF A PERSON. COOPERATING WITH HACK DRIVERS, DOMESTIC WORKERS, SECONDHAND CLOTHING DEALERS AND MARINERS, THEY WERE ESSENTIAL IN MOVING FUGITIVES TO FREEDOM IN CANADA AND ENGLAND
Files
Collection
Citation
Maine Freedom Trails, Inc, “Barber Shop of Jacob C. Dickson,” Portland’s Historical Markers, accessed April 15, 2021, http://markers.portlandculturalhistory.org/items/show/28.