"Christmas, or The Good Fairy" was first published December 26, 1850 on the front page of the The National Era newspaper published out of Washington, D.C. At the time of its writing, 39-year-old Harriet Beecher Stowe had recently moved to Brunswick, Maine after 18 years in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her husband, professor Calvin Stowe, were the parents of 6 living children, ranging in age from 13 to 5 months. They had buried a toddler son in Cincinnati the year prior. Harriet was an established author and her published writing helped support their family. She knew Gamaliel Bailey, editor of The National Era, from Cincinnati, when Bailey worked with James Birney on the abolitionist newspaper The Philanthropist, which had been attacked by pro-slavery mobs. Source: The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]), 26 Dec. 1850. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026752/1850-12-26/ed-1/seq-1/> "Christmas, or The Good Fairy" |
 | "Dear me, it's so tedious! Every body has got every thing that can be thought of." |
This view of the case seemed rather puzzling to the adviser, and there was silence for a few moments, when Ellen, yawning, resumed:--
"And then there's Cousins Jane and Mary; I suppose they will be coming down on me with a whole load of presents; and Mrs. B. will send me something--she did last year; and then there's Cousins William and Tom--I must get them something; and I would like to do it well enough, if I only knew what to get."
"Well," said Eleanor's aunt, who had been sitting quietly rattling her knitting needles during this speech, "it's a pity that you had not such a subject to practise on as I was when I was a girl. Presents did not fly about in those days as they do now. I remember, when I was ten years old, my father gave me a most marvellously ugly sugar dog for a Christmas gift, and I was perfectly delighted with it, the very idea of a present was so new to us."
"Dear aunt, how delighted I should be if I had any such fresh, unsophisticated body to get presents for! But to get and get for people that have more than they know what to do with now; to add pictures, books, and gilding when the centre tables are loaded with them now, and rings and jewels when they are a perfect drug! I wish myself that I were not sick, and sated, and tired with having every thing in the world given me."
"And then there's Cousins Jane and Mary; I suppose they will be coming down on me with a whole load of presents; and Mrs. B. will send me something--she did last year; and then there's Cousins William and Tom--I must get them something; and I would like to do it well enough, if I only knew what to get."
"Well," said Eleanor's aunt, who had been sitting quietly rattling her knitting needles during this speech, "it's a pity that you had not such a subject to practise on as I was when I was a girl. Presents did not fly about in those days as they do now. I remember, when I was ten years old, my father gave me a most marvellously ugly sugar dog for a Christmas gift, and I was perfectly delighted with it, the very idea of a present was so new to us."
"Dear aunt, how delighted I should be if I had any such fresh, unsophisticated body to get presents for! But to get and get for people that have more than they know what to do with now; to add pictures, books, and gilding when the centre tables are loaded with them now, and rings and jewels when they are a perfect drug! I wish myself that I were not sick, and sated, and tired with having every thing in the world given me."
I wish myself that I were not sick, and sated, and tired with having every thing in the world given me."
"Well, Eleanor," said her aunt, "if you really do want unsophisticated subjects to practise [sic] on, I can put you in the way of it. I can show you more than one family to whom you might seem to be a very good fairy, and where such gifts as you could give with all ease would seem like a magic dream."
"Why, that would really be worth while, aunt."
"Look over in that back alley," said her aunt. "You see those buildings?"
"That miserable row of shanties? Yes."
"Well, I have several acquaintances there who have never been tired of Christmas gifts, or gifts of any other kind. I assure you, you could make quite a sensation over there."
"Well, who is there? Let us know."
"Do you remember Owen, that used to make your shoes?"
"Yes, I remember something about him."
"Well, he has fallen into a consumption, and cannot work any more; and he, and his wife, and three little children live in one of the rooms."
"How do they get along?"
"Why, that would really be worth while, aunt."
"Look over in that back alley," said her aunt. "You see those buildings?"
"That miserable row of shanties? Yes."
"Well, I have several acquaintances there who have never been tired of Christmas gifts, or gifts of any other kind. I assure you, you could make quite a sensation over there."
"Well, who is there? Let us know."
"Do you remember Owen, that used to make your shoes?"
"Yes, I remember something about him."
"Well, he has fallen into a consumption, and cannot work any more; and he, and his wife, and three little children live in one of the rooms."
"How do they get along?"
"His wife takes in sewing sometimes, and sometimes goes out washing. Poor Owen! I was over there yesterday; he looks thin and wasted, and his wife was saying that he was parched with constant fever, and had very little appetite. She had, with great self-denial, and by restricting herself almost of necessary food, got him two or three oranges; and the poor fellow seemed so eager after them!"
"Poor fellow!" said Eleanor, involuntarily.
"Now," said her aunt, "suppose Owen's wife should get up on Christmas morning and find at the door a couple of dozen of oranges, and some of those nice white grapes, such as you had at your party last week; don't you think it would make a sensation?"
"Why, yes, I think very likely it might; but who else, aunt? You spoke of a great many."
"Well, on the lower floor there is a neat little room, that is always kept perfectly trim and tidy; it belongs to a young couple who have nothing beyond the husband's day wages to live on. They are, nevertheless, as cheerful and chipper as a couple of wrens; and she is up and down half a dozen times a day, to help poor Mrs. Owen. She has a baby of her own, about five months old, and of course does all the cooking, washing, and ironing for herself and husband; and yet, when Mrs. Owen goes out to wash, she takes her baby, and keeps it whole days for her."
"I'm sure she deserves that the good fairies should smile on her," said Eleanor; "one baby exhausts my stock of virtues very rapidly."
"Poor fellow!" said Eleanor, involuntarily.
"Now," said her aunt, "suppose Owen's wife should get up on Christmas morning and find at the door a couple of dozen of oranges, and some of those nice white grapes, such as you had at your party last week; don't you think it would make a sensation?"
"Why, yes, I think very likely it might; but who else, aunt? You spoke of a great many."
"Well, on the lower floor there is a neat little room, that is always kept perfectly trim and tidy; it belongs to a young couple who have nothing beyond the husband's day wages to live on. They are, nevertheless, as cheerful and chipper as a couple of wrens; and she is up and down half a dozen times a day, to help poor Mrs. Owen. She has a baby of her own, about five months old, and of course does all the cooking, washing, and ironing for herself and husband; and yet, when Mrs. Owen goes out to wash, she takes her baby, and keeps it whole days for her."
"I'm sure she deserves that the good fairies should smile on her," said Eleanor; "one baby exhausts my stock of virtues very rapidly."
"I'm sure she deserves that the good fairies should smile on her," said Eleanor; "one baby exhausts my stock of virtues very rapidly."
"But you ought to see her baby," said Aunt E.; "so plump, so rosy, and good-natured, and always clean as a lily. This baby is a sort of household shrine; nothing is too sacred or too good for it; and I believe the little thrifty woman feels only one temptation to be extravagant, and that is to get some ornaments to adorn this little divinity."
"Why, did she ever tell you so?"
"No; but one day, when I was coming down stairs, the door of their room was partly open, and I saw a pedler there with open box. John, the husband, was standing with a little purple cap on his hand, which he was regarding with mystified, admiring air, as if he didn't quite comprehend it, and trim little Mary gazing at it with longing eyes.
"'I think we might get it,' said John.
"'O, no,' said she, regretfully; 'yet I wish we could, it's so pretty!'"
"Say no more, aunt. I see the good fairy must pop a cap into the window on Christmas morning. Indeed, it shall be done. How they will wonder where it came from, and talk about it for months to come!"
"Well, then," continued her aunt, "in the next street to ours there is a miserable building, that looks as if it were just going to topple over; and away up in the third story, in a little room just under the eaves, live two poor, lonely old women. They are both nearly on to ninety. I was in there day before yesterday. One of them is constantly confined to her bed with rheumatism; the other, weak and feeble, with failing sight and trembling hands, totters about, her only helper; and they are entirely dependent on charity."
"Can't they do any thing? Can't they knit?" said Eleanor.
"Why, did she ever tell you so?"
"No; but one day, when I was coming down stairs, the door of their room was partly open, and I saw a pedler there with open box. John, the husband, was standing with a little purple cap on his hand, which he was regarding with mystified, admiring air, as if he didn't quite comprehend it, and trim little Mary gazing at it with longing eyes.
"'I think we might get it,' said John.
"'O, no,' said she, regretfully; 'yet I wish we could, it's so pretty!'"
"Say no more, aunt. I see the good fairy must pop a cap into the window on Christmas morning. Indeed, it shall be done. How they will wonder where it came from, and talk about it for months to come!"
"Well, then," continued her aunt, "in the next street to ours there is a miserable building, that looks as if it were just going to topple over; and away up in the third story, in a little room just under the eaves, live two poor, lonely old women. They are both nearly on to ninety. I was in there day before yesterday. One of them is constantly confined to her bed with rheumatism; the other, weak and feeble, with failing sight and trembling hands, totters about, her only helper; and they are entirely dependent on charity."
"Can't they do any thing? Can't they knit?" said Eleanor.
"You are young and strong, Eleanor, and have quick eyes and nimble fingers; how long would it take you to knit a pair of stockings?"
"I?" said Eleanor. "What an idea! I never tried, but I think I could get a pair done in a week, perhaps."
"And if somebody gave you twenty-five cents for them, and out of this you had to get food, and pay room rent, and buy coal for your fire, and oil for your lamp----"
"Stop, aunt, for pity's sake!"
"Well, I will stop; but they can't: they must pay so much every month for that miserable shell they live in, or be turned into the street. The meal and flour that some kind person sends goes off for them just as it does for others, and they must get more or starve; and coal is now scarce and high priced."
"O aunt, I'm quite convinced, I'm sure; don't run me down and annihilate me with all these terrible realities. What shall I do to play good fairy to these poor old women?"
"I?" said Eleanor. "What an idea! I never tried, but I think I could get a pair done in a week, perhaps."
"And if somebody gave you twenty-five cents for them, and out of this you had to get food, and pay room rent, and buy coal for your fire, and oil for your lamp----"
"Stop, aunt, for pity's sake!"
"Well, I will stop; but they can't: they must pay so much every month for that miserable shell they live in, or be turned into the street. The meal and flour that some kind person sends goes off for them just as it does for others, and they must get more or starve; and coal is now scarce and high priced."
"O aunt, I'm quite convinced, I'm sure; don't run me down and annihilate me with all these terrible realities. What shall I do to play good fairy to these poor old women?"
 | "O aunt, I'm quite convinced, I'm sure; don't run me down and annihilate me with all these terrible realities. |
"If you will give me full power, Eleanor, I will put up a basket to be sent to them that will give them something to remember all winter."
"O, certainly I will. Let me see if I can't think of something myself."
"Well, Eleanor, suppose, then, some fifty or sixty years hence, if you were old, and your father, and mother, and aunts, and uncles, now so thick around you, lay cold and silent in so many graves--you have somehow got away off to a strange city, where you were never known--you live in a miserable garret, where snow blows at night through the cracks, and the fire is very apt to go out in the old cracked stove--you sit crouching over the dying embers the evening before Christmas--nobody to speak to you, nobody to care for you, except another poor old soul who lies moaning in the bed. Now, what would you like to have sent you?"
"O aunt, what a dismal picture!"
"And yet, Ella, all poor, forsaken old women are made of young girls, who expected it in their youth as little as you do, perhaps."
"Say no more, aunt. I'll buy--let me see--a comfortable warm shawl for each of these poor women; and I'll send them--let me see--O, some tea--nothing goes down with old women like tea; and I'll make John wheel some coal over to them; and, aunt, it would not be a very bad thought to send them a new stove. I remember, the other day, when mamma was pricing stoves, I saw some such nice ones for two or three dollars."
"O, certainly I will. Let me see if I can't think of something myself."
"Well, Eleanor, suppose, then, some fifty or sixty years hence, if you were old, and your father, and mother, and aunts, and uncles, now so thick around you, lay cold and silent in so many graves--you have somehow got away off to a strange city, where you were never known--you live in a miserable garret, where snow blows at night through the cracks, and the fire is very apt to go out in the old cracked stove--you sit crouching over the dying embers the evening before Christmas--nobody to speak to you, nobody to care for you, except another poor old soul who lies moaning in the bed. Now, what would you like to have sent you?"
"O aunt, what a dismal picture!"
"And yet, Ella, all poor, forsaken old women are made of young girls, who expected it in their youth as little as you do, perhaps."
"Say no more, aunt. I'll buy--let me see--a comfortable warm shawl for each of these poor women; and I'll send them--let me see--O, some tea--nothing goes down with old women like tea; and I'll make John wheel some coal over to them; and, aunt, it would not be a very bad thought to send them a new stove. I remember, the other day, when mamma was pricing stoves, I saw some such nice ones for two or three dollars."
"For a new hand, Ella, you work up the idea very well," said her aunt.
"But how much ought I to give, for any one case, to these women, say?"
"How much did you give last year for any single Christmas present?"
"Why, six or seven dollars for some; those elegant souvenirs were seven dollars; that ring I gave Mrs. B. was twenty."
"And do you suppose Mrs. B. was any happier for it?"
"No, really, I don't think she cared much about it; but I had to give her something, because she had sent me something the year before, and I did not want to send a paltry present to one in her circumstances."
"Then, Ella, give the same to any poor, distressed, suffering creature who really needs it, and see in how many forms of good such a sum will appear. That one hard, cold, glittering ring, that now cheers nobody, and means nothing, that you give because you must, and she takes because she must, might, if broken up into smaller sums, send real warm and heartfelt gladness through many a cold and cheerless dwelling, through many an aching heart."
"You are getting to be an orator, aunt; but don't you approve of Christmas presents, among friends and equals?"
"Yes, indeed," said her aunt, fondly stroking her head. "I have had some Christmas presents that did me a world of good--a little book mark, for instance, that a certain niece of mine worked for me, with wonderful secrecy, three years ago, when she was not a young lady with a purse full of money--that book mark was a true Christmas present; and my young couple across the way are plotting a profound surprise to each other on Christmas morning. John has contrived, by an hour of extra work every night, to lay by enough to get Mary a new calico dress; and she, poor soul, has bargained away the only thing in the jewelry line she ever possessed, to be laid out on a new hat for him.
"I know, too, a washerwoman who has a poor, lame boy--a patient, gentle little fellow--who has lain quietly for weeks and months in his little crib, and his mother is going to give him a splendid Christmas present."
"What is it, pray?"
"But how much ought I to give, for any one case, to these women, say?"
"How much did you give last year for any single Christmas present?"
"Why, six or seven dollars for some; those elegant souvenirs were seven dollars; that ring I gave Mrs. B. was twenty."
"And do you suppose Mrs. B. was any happier for it?"
"No, really, I don't think she cared much about it; but I had to give her something, because she had sent me something the year before, and I did not want to send a paltry present to one in her circumstances."
"Then, Ella, give the same to any poor, distressed, suffering creature who really needs it, and see in how many forms of good such a sum will appear. That one hard, cold, glittering ring, that now cheers nobody, and means nothing, that you give because you must, and she takes because she must, might, if broken up into smaller sums, send real warm and heartfelt gladness through many a cold and cheerless dwelling, through many an aching heart."
"You are getting to be an orator, aunt; but don't you approve of Christmas presents, among friends and equals?"
"Yes, indeed," said her aunt, fondly stroking her head. "I have had some Christmas presents that did me a world of good--a little book mark, for instance, that a certain niece of mine worked for me, with wonderful secrecy, three years ago, when she was not a young lady with a purse full of money--that book mark was a true Christmas present; and my young couple across the way are plotting a profound surprise to each other on Christmas morning. John has contrived, by an hour of extra work every night, to lay by enough to get Mary a new calico dress; and she, poor soul, has bargained away the only thing in the jewelry line she ever possessed, to be laid out on a new hat for him.
"I know, too, a washerwoman who has a poor, lame boy--a patient, gentle little fellow--who has lain quietly for weeks and months in his little crib, and his mother is going to give him a splendid Christmas present."
"What is it, pray?"
"A whole orange! Don't laugh. She will pay ten whole cents for it; for it shall be none of your common oranges, but a picked one of the very best going! She has put by the money, a cent at a time, for a whole month; and nobody knows which will be happiest in it, Willie or his mother. These are such Christmas presents as I like to think of--gifts coming from love, and tending to produce love; these are the appropriate gifts of the day."
"But don't you think that it's right for those who have money to give expensive presents, supposing always, as you say, they are given from real affection?"
"Sometimes, undoubtedly. The Savior did not condemn her who broke an alabaster box of ointment--very precious--simply as a proof of love, even although the suggestion was made, 'This might have been sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor.'
I have thought he would regard with sympathy the fond efforts which human love sometimes makes to express itself by gifts, the rarest and most costly. How I rejoiced with all my heart, when Charles Elton gave his poor mother that splendid Chinese shawl and gold watch! because I knew they came from the very fulness of his heart to a mother that he could not do too much for--a mother that has done and suffered every thing for him.
In some such cases, when resources are ample, a costly gift seems to have a graceful appropriateness; but I cannot approve of it if it exhausts all the means of doing for the poor; it is better, then, to give a simple offering, and to do something for those who really need it."
"But don't you think that it's right for those who have money to give expensive presents, supposing always, as you say, they are given from real affection?"
"Sometimes, undoubtedly. The Savior did not condemn her who broke an alabaster box of ointment--very precious--simply as a proof of love, even although the suggestion was made, 'This might have been sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor.'
I have thought he would regard with sympathy the fond efforts which human love sometimes makes to express itself by gifts, the rarest and most costly. How I rejoiced with all my heart, when Charles Elton gave his poor mother that splendid Chinese shawl and gold watch! because I knew they came from the very fulness of his heart to a mother that he could not do too much for--a mother that has done and suffered every thing for him.
In some such cases, when resources are ample, a costly gift seems to have a graceful appropriateness; but I cannot approve of it if it exhausts all the means of doing for the poor; it is better, then, to give a simple offering, and to do something for those who really need it."
 | ...and if Christ should come back to our city on a Christmas day, where should we think it most appropriate to his character to find him? |
Eleanor looked thoughtful; her aunt laid down her knitting, and said, in a tone of gentle seriousness, "Whose birth does Christmas commemorate, Ella?"
"Our Savior's, certainly, aunt."
"Yes," said her aunt. "And when and how was he born? In a stable! laid in a manger; thus born, that in all ages he might be known as the brother and friend of the poor. And surely, it seems but appropriate to commemorate his birthday by an especial remembrance of the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and distressed; and if Christ should come back to our city on a Christmas day, where should we think it most appropriate to his character to find him?
Would he be carrying splendid gifts to splendid dwellings, or would he be gliding about in the cheerless haunts of the desolate, the poor, the forsaken, and the sorrowful?"
And here the conversation ended.
* * * * *
"Our Savior's, certainly, aunt."
"Yes," said her aunt. "And when and how was he born? In a stable! laid in a manger; thus born, that in all ages he might be known as the brother and friend of the poor. And surely, it seems but appropriate to commemorate his birthday by an especial remembrance of the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and distressed; and if Christ should come back to our city on a Christmas day, where should we think it most appropriate to his character to find him?
Would he be carrying splendid gifts to splendid dwellings, or would he be gliding about in the cheerless haunts of the desolate, the poor, the forsaken, and the sorrowful?"
And here the conversation ended.
* * * * *
"What sort of Christmas presents is Ella buying?" said Cousin Tom, as the waiter handed in a portentous-looking package, which had been just rung in at the door.
"Let's open it," said saucy Will. "Upon my word, two great gray blanket shawls! These must be for you and me, Tom! And what's this? A great bolt of cotton flannel and gray yarn stockings!"
The door bell rang again, and the waiter brought in another bulky parcel, and deposited it on the marble-topped centre table.
"What's here?" said Will, cutting the cord. "Whew! a perfect nest of packages! oolong tea! oranges! grapes! white sugar! Bless me, Ella must be going to housekeeping!"
"Or going crazy!" said Tom; "and on my word," said he, looking out of the window, "there's a drayman ringing at our door, with a stove, with a teakettle set in the top of it!"
"Ella's cook stove, of course," said Will; and just at this moment the young lady entered, with her purse hanging gracefully over her hand.
"Now, boys, you are too bad!" she exclaimed, as each of the mischievous youngsters were gravely marching up and down, attired in a gray shawl.
"Didn't you get them for us? We thought you did," said both.
"Ella, I want some of that cotton flannel, to make me a pair of pantaloons," said Tom.
"I say, Ella," said Will, "when are you going to housekeeping? Your cooking stove is standing down in the street; 'pon my word, John is loading some coal on the dray with it."
"Ella, isn't that going to be sent to my office?" said Tom; "do you know I do so languish for a new stove with a teakettle in the top, to heat a fellow's shaving water!"
Just then, another ring at the door, and the grinning waiter handed in a small brown paper parcel for Miss Ella. Tom made a dive at it, and staving off the brown paper, developed a jaunty little purple velvet cap, with silver tassels.
"My smoking cap, as I live!" said he; "only I shall have to wear it on my thumb, instead of my head--too small entirely," said he, shaking his head gravely.
"Come, you saucy boys," said Aunt E., entering briskly, "what are you teasing Ella for?"
"Why, do see this lot of things, aunt! What in the world is Ella going to do with them?"
"O, I know!"
"You know! Then I can guess, aunt, it is some of your charitable works. You are going to make a juvenile Lady Bountiful of El, eh?"
"Let's open it," said saucy Will. "Upon my word, two great gray blanket shawls! These must be for you and me, Tom! And what's this? A great bolt of cotton flannel and gray yarn stockings!"
The door bell rang again, and the waiter brought in another bulky parcel, and deposited it on the marble-topped centre table.
"What's here?" said Will, cutting the cord. "Whew! a perfect nest of packages! oolong tea! oranges! grapes! white sugar! Bless me, Ella must be going to housekeeping!"
"Or going crazy!" said Tom; "and on my word," said he, looking out of the window, "there's a drayman ringing at our door, with a stove, with a teakettle set in the top of it!"
"Ella's cook stove, of course," said Will; and just at this moment the young lady entered, with her purse hanging gracefully over her hand.
"Now, boys, you are too bad!" she exclaimed, as each of the mischievous youngsters were gravely marching up and down, attired in a gray shawl.
"Didn't you get them for us? We thought you did," said both.
"Ella, I want some of that cotton flannel, to make me a pair of pantaloons," said Tom.
"I say, Ella," said Will, "when are you going to housekeeping? Your cooking stove is standing down in the street; 'pon my word, John is loading some coal on the dray with it."
"Ella, isn't that going to be sent to my office?" said Tom; "do you know I do so languish for a new stove with a teakettle in the top, to heat a fellow's shaving water!"
Just then, another ring at the door, and the grinning waiter handed in a small brown paper parcel for Miss Ella. Tom made a dive at it, and staving off the brown paper, developed a jaunty little purple velvet cap, with silver tassels.
"My smoking cap, as I live!" said he; "only I shall have to wear it on my thumb, instead of my head--too small entirely," said he, shaking his head gravely.
"Come, you saucy boys," said Aunt E., entering briskly, "what are you teasing Ella for?"
"Why, do see this lot of things, aunt! What in the world is Ella going to do with them?"
"O, I know!"
"You know! Then I can guess, aunt, it is some of your charitable works. You are going to make a juvenile Lady Bountiful of El, eh?"
Ella, who had colored to the roots of her hair at the expose of her very unfashionable Christmas preparations, now took heart, and bestowed a very gentle and salutary little cuff on the saucy head that still wore the purple cap, and then hastened to gather up her various purchases.
"Laugh away," said she, gayly; "and a good many others will laugh, too, over these things. I got them to make people laugh--people that are not in the habit of laughing!"
"Laugh away," said she, gayly; "and a good many others will laugh, too, over these things. I got them to make people laugh--people that are not in the habit of laughing!"
I got them to make people laugh--people that are not in the habit of laughing! |  |
"Well, well, I see into it," said Will; "and I tell you I think right well of the idea, too. There are worlds of money wasted, at this time of the year, in getting things that nobody wants, and nobody cares for after they are got; and I am glad, for my part, that you are going to get up a variety in this line; in fact, I should like to give you one of these stray leaves to help on," said he, dropping a ten dollar note into her paper. "I like to encourage girls to think of something besides breastpins and sugar candy."
But our story spins on too long. If any body wants to see the results of Ella's first attempts at good fairyism, they can call at the doors of two or three old buildings on Christmas morning, and they shall hear all about it.
But our story spins on too long. If any body wants to see the results of Ella's first attempts at good fairyism, they can call at the doors of two or three old buildings on Christmas morning, and they shall hear all about it.
Give generously this year with the
Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House
This year during our Winter Hours we will be giving back to our local neighborhood with a children's book drive. As you shop, add an extra picture book to be donated to fill the shelves of the community rooms at Thatcher Flats, the new income-sensitive family apartments one block away.
You can choose a favorite title from our shop or donate an amount to put toward our book donation.
You can choose a favorite title from our shop or donate an amount to put toward our book donation.
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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:
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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.
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
###
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.
Christina Hartlieb, Executive Director of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, leads a Walnut Hills history walking tour in June 2023. 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.
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, who lived in Cincinnati from 1832-1850. She started writing Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1851. It became the best-selling book behind the Bible for all of the 1800s. 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.”
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
- 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
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
George Wilson (second from left) with a group of CCY students who worked to renovate the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in the late 1970s.
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.
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.
 Plaque on display at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio honoring the youth participants, volunteers and staff of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House who participated in the House's restoration and (1977-1981) and stabilization (1990-1997). |  George Wilson pictured at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in the late 1970s (left) and 2020 (right). |
Images from the 1970s renovation led by Mr. George Wilson and youth from CCY.
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