FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2024
 
CINCINNATI, OH (November 27, 2024) – On Sunday, December 1, 2024, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House invites shoppers to participate in Museum Store Sunday, an annual holiday shopping day supporting cultural institutions and their stores. 
 
Visitors to the newly expanded Harriet Beecher Stowe House museum shop will enjoy browsing books and unique gifts for book lovers of all ages. Some of the shop's featured items include a custom ornament and trinket dish made in Walnut Hills by woman-owned SKT Ceramics, archival quality prints of the Black Art Speaks painting commissioned for the the museum's recent reopening, plus local history and Christmas books by Cincinnati authors.
 
In addition to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, tristate shoppers can enjoy Museum Store Sunday at the Taft Museum of Art, Glenwood Gardens, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Cincinnati Nature Center, and the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington.
 
This year, more than 2,100 museum stores representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 25 countries and five continents will celebrate Museum Store Sunday and offer unique gifts for the holiday season—with all purchases supporting its parent institution and the artisans and craftspeople who create many of the gifts found in museum stores.
 
The number of participating cultural institutions has tripled since the Museum Store Association launched Museum Store Sunday in 2017. The global advocacy campaign’s new slogan, “Shop with Purpose,” reflects the organization’s mission to promote economic sustainability and cultural engagement for museums and the communities they support.
 
Kate Schureman, board president of the Museum Store Association and chief operating officer and vice president of administration of the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois, explains how shopping at cultural institutions during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend strengthens communities and their financial well-being.
 
“Purchasing locally made gifts at museum stores circulates money within shoppers’ communities,” Schureman said. “In turn, artists, businesses and museums in their neighborhoods have more funds to reinvest into their communities and foster local economic growth.”
 
While there is only one Museum Store Sunday every year, consumers are encouraged to shop at and support museum stores all year long. Approximately 91% of shoppers said they would return the following year to shop during Museum Store Sunday and 89% of shoppers said Museum Store Sunday encourages them to shop at museum stores throughout the year [Source: Museum Store Sunday 2023 Shoppers Survey].
 
Shoppers may find participating museum stores near them at http://www.museumstoresunday.org/find-a-store and those with online stores at http://www.museumstoresunday.org/find-an-online-store.
 
For more information on events and promotions during Museum Store Sunday at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, please visit www.stowehousecincy.org and follow us on social media @stowehousecincy.
 
For up-to-date information on Museum Store Sunday, including a list of global museum store participants and online museum stores, visit www.museumstoresunday.org and:

• Follow Museum Store Sunday on Instagram at @museumstoresunday
• Like Museum Store Sunday on Facebook at com/museumstoresunday

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About the Harriet Beecher Stowe House
The nonprofit Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House manages the Cincinnati home where Harriet Beecher Stowe lived during the formative years that led her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In the 20th century, the house was the Edgemont Inn, a tavern listed in the Green Book. This historic site is part of the Ohio History Connection’s network of more than 50 sites and museums across Ohio. For more information about programs and events, call 513-751-0651 or visit www.stowehousecincy.org.
 
About the Museum Store Association
The Museum Store Association is a 501(c)3 organization with the mission of advancing the nonprofit retail industry, its stores and the success of professionals engaged in it. For more information, visit www.museumstoreassociation.org.

There is no place for political violence in the United States.  Assassination attempts on political candidates should never happen. Political candidates using unfounded rhetoric against communities which then incite fear and violence against that community is dangerous and despicable.  Why have we not learned from the trials of the past? Why can we not show compassion and care for others, even if we don’t agree with them? Why?
 
In the summer of 1836, Cincinnati experienced anti-Black riots.  White newspaper editor, James Birney, published the abolitionist paper, the Philanthropist. In the 1830s, anti-slavery positions were not normal, particularly in this border city, whose economy was connected to the South. Birney was attacked by an angry pro-slavery mob, his printing press torn to pieces, and thrown into the Ohio River.  The crowd then turned against the free Black community living in the neighborhoods along the riverfront.  Anti-Black violence consumed the city for days.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, a newly married young writer, pregnant with twins, watched this brutality from her father’s house in Walnut Hills.  She wrote a letter to the editor of another newspaper in town in the guise of a short story.  Two gentlemen are speaking at the dinner table about the Birney incident and the “extreme” nature of abolition.  The thesis of the story boils down to three messages:
- Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are important for a democracy
- Even if you do not agree with your neighbors, that is not a valid reason to attack them
- When you start that form of mob violence, it will spread and will probably backfire on you.
 
It is incredible to me – looking at our situation today – that this piece could have been written just yesterday. One hundred and eighty-eight years have passed (that’s 9 score and 8 years for people who like historical analogies) and yet we still need to be reminded of these “American ideals.” 

• Speak your mind, but recognize other viewpoints
• Violence against our fellow humans is not the answer
• Treat your neighbors as you want to be treated. 

 
We all experience trials and tribulations – so why would you deliberately harm others?  Please listen to Harriet. She used her voice to advocate for the freedom and humanity of everyone.  Why can’t we do the same?
 
Christina Hartlieb
Executive Director, Harriet Beecher Stowe House

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is more than a local historic site--the legacy of its history has stretched around the world for nearly 200 years. Check us out on Momondo travel guides today!

A reflection from Executive Director Christina Hartlieb, on behalf of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House Staff, Board, and Volunteers on the passing of Thomas D. Jordan, Board Member of the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House:

I first met Thomas several years ago at a conference on reckoning with the consequences of slavery at the University of Cincinnati.  We chatted and he became very interested in the work we were doing to educate visitors and facilitate discussions on historical context. 

He was also intrigued by the dual interpretation we talked about here in terms of the overlapping ideas of the 19th century abolitionist era and the 20th century Green Book era.  The concept of the House serving as a “lighthouse symbolizing good will and better understanding,” first voiced by the home’s preservation group in 1943, really resonated with Thomas. 

He became involved in our work and served as a board member of the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House for over three years.  During that time, he was instrumental in crafting a statement condemning senseless acts of racial violence during the summer of 2020, he presented a genealogy workshop as part of our programming series, he served on several committees, and he provided an on-camera presence during our 2020 virtual Harriet’s Birthday Party and for a video about our Restoration project.
 
Thomas had a positive attitude and a deep regard for sharing his own knowledge and expertise. We will certainly miss his smile and his willingness to learn even more.  When interviewed for a board member profile, he told us had learned more about the Beechers and the Lane Seminary, but also that “My favorite book I found in the bookstore is The Overground Railroad. It is about The Green Book and the author documented her trip to visit all of these locations. It gives a raw perspective on The Green Book as it relates to African American history especially during the Civil Rights Movement.” 

These snippets demonstrate his understanding of the relevancy of our work and the interconnections between our dual interpretation.   It speaks to Thomas’ recognition of knowing and understanding what has come before – “Cincinnati is full of history, some of which has been lost.”  He helped to bring it back.
 
We thank Thomas for his gift of time and support serving on the board of the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House.  His commitment to true history and to genealogy served as a beacon to others.  He will be greatly missed.

Details for Thomas Jordan's funeral can be found here: https://www.prestoncharlesfuneralhome.com/obituary/BishopThomas-Jordan

Upon the passing of Mr. George Wilson, The Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House wish to extend our public gratitude to Mr. Wilson for his contributions to the preservation, renovation, and continued work of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. In the late 1970s, Mr. Wilson led an extensive renovation project at the museum with the  Citizens' Committee on Youth, enabling the site to continue as a historic landmark and educational resource. 

As recently as March 2023, Mr. Wilson participated in interpretive planning meetings with the Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Ohio History Connection, providing historical context and continuity to the museum's continuing educational work.

Visitors to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House can see a small collection of images from the 1970s renovation in the museum bookstore. Public hours are Thursday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12pm-4pm. The museum is located at 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206.

Board Member Fred Warren grew up in New York and moved to the Greater Cincinnati area over 30 years ago. He has always been interested in history and even received his B.A. in History. Following are edited excerpts from an interview with Mr. Warren.

When did you first learn about the Harriet Beecher Stowe House? Did you immediately become actively involved?
I knew of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House for many years. I became a supporter between five and ten years ago. I started out donating to the Friends for a couple years. I attended a party for members of the Friends about four years ago where I was approached to become a docent. I love to meet new people through the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

What is your favorite book that you have read related to the House?
I have read quite a few books in relation to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. One book I have read was a Ph.D. thesis turned into a book written on Harriet’s life in Florida. Not many people know about her life in Florida since it was her later years. She was very influential and encouraged tourism in Florida. She also defended the wildlife population and brought education to children especially African American children. 

Fred enjoys being a docent because it is a very stimulating experience. He is able to interact with people from all over who are visiting the House and are people involved with the Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

​If you're interested in exploring more books related to Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Underground Railroad, or the Power of Voice, come check out our bookstore, open during all public hours.