Support provided by:
The Case:
A beautiful, worn banjo is purchased by a Chicago resident at an auction a few years ago.
A tattered note inside says the banjo dates to the mid-1800s and was bought from a former slave in Bethel, Ohio, by an abolitionist family some time after Emancipation.
According to the note, the slave who owned the banjo and the boy who ultimately purchased the banjo had once shared a classroom. Could this be the only slave banjo known to exist?
History Detectives is off to Ohio and Maryland to trace the roots of two American families divided by racial lines during the Civil War and to track the surprising lineage of an instrument that has contributed to more than 200 years of American music.
Season 3, Episode 4
Detective:
Tukufu Zuberi
Detective:
Wes Cowan
Location:Baltimore, Maryland
Related Content
Feature:
Feature:
Feature:
Related Links
Explore
-
Related Investigation
Red Hand Flag
Is this peculiar flag one that African-American soldiers marched under in the war to end all wars?
-
Also in Season 3
Broadway Ballet Shoes
Did this dancer's great-great-grandfather teach Salvatore Capezio to make ballet shoes?
-
Related Investigation
Theremin
How did this strange instrument help spark a rock n’ roll revolution?
-
Also in Civil War: 1850-1877
Slave Songbook
Are these tattered pages the earliest record of music created by slaves?
-
Also in Civil War: 1850-1877
Civil War Submarine
Is this submarine an example of new technology developed by the Confederates during the Civil War?
-
Also in Civil War: 1850-1877
Dueling Pistols
Were these pistols used in the last great duel on U.S. soil?
Comments
This is a place for opinions, comments, questions and discussion; a place where viewers of History Detectives can express their points of view and connect with others who value history. We ask that posters be polite and respectful of all opinions. History Detectives reserves the right to delete comments that don’t conform to this conduct. We will not respond to every post, but will do our best to answer specific questions, or address an error.
Anyone wishing to submit an artifact for investigation should do so through Submit a Story.
- Submit your StoryDo you have a Civil War object? Submit your story now.
- Latest CommentI am tremendously happy i have come across this particular website. (17 hours ago)
- TwitterHappy Birthday, Bob Dylan! 71-y o today. Our premiere episode explores the Dylan guitar that changed R&R history. July 17, 9p/8p C. Watch! (2 days ago)
- FacebookIt wasn't until I sat in a class taught by Inez Turley at Mesa Community College that the study of the past became a passion for me. Who was the teacher that inspired you? --Eduardo (2 days ago)