Thomas Morris Chester Historical

Thomas Morris Chester Historical (HM1XJ0)

Location: Harrisburg, PA 17101 Dauphin County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 15.633', W 76° 52.833'

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Inscription
Thomas Morris Chester was born at the corner of Third and Market Streets in Harrisburg in 1834. One of Harrisburg's most famous nineteenth century African-Americans, he was particularly known for his leadership in education, journalism, military recruitment, international diplomacy and the legal profession.
Chester served as a recruiter and helped usher Pennsylvania Black men into the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiments. At the end of the war, Chester was serving as a correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, traveling with the Army of the Potomac. Chester created and led two companies of blacks for local defense during the Gettysburg campaign of 1863.
According to the Harrisburg Telegraph, this was the first time Pennsylvania issued weapons to African-Americans. Chester ended the war as a correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, traveling with the Army of the Potomac.
After the war, Chester moved to England where he studied law and was admitted to the bar, perhaps becoming the first black barrister. Returning to the United States, Chester held several posts in Louisiana, including collector of customs, brigadier general of militia and superintendent of schools. Becoming ill in 1892, he returned to Harrisburg and died in his mother's house at 305 Chestnut Street. Chester is buried in Penbrook's Lincoln Cemetery.
Details
HM NumberHM1XJ0
Series This marker is part of the Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed By(Pennsylvania) Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, March 27th, 2017 at 9:02am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 340083 N 4458372
Decimal Degrees40.26055000, -76.88055000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 15.633', W 76° 52.833'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 15' 37.98" N, 76° 52' 49.98" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 12 S 3rd St, Harrisburg PA 17101, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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