Walking
in the Footsteps of
Booker T. Washington
by
Robert Newman Sheets
It was a powerful and emotional
moment, standing on the path between the slave cabin and the master’s ‘big
house.’ On this path one day in April, 1865 walked a nine year old named
“Booker” and his mother Jane. Walking toward the big house that day they
were slaves. Returning to their cabin that same day they were free.
The Widow Burroughs was sitting in
her rocker at the Big House when out of the twilight rode a single Union
Soldier requesting she assemble all the plantation slaves. It was then, Booker
and his mother heard the news that President Abraham Lincoln had by a
Proclamation, granted them their freedom. And we were there! Not in 1863, but
this past June 24th when this historic re-enactment took place on
the site of his birth, the site of his enslavement and the site of his
freedom. How more honored could we be, that as guests of the descendants of
the Booker T. Washington Family, we could share in this moment. We walked with
them on that hallowed ground in the spirit of Lewis and Viola Ruffner.
The story has been often told of
the role they played in nurturing Dr. Washington’s early learning and self
discipline. Working first in the Ruffner coal mines, he soon took a job in
their home. Under Viola’s watchful eye, as he said in his autobiography, Up
From Slavery, “The lessons I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as
valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten anywhere since.” For a
brief time in their lives, the young lad and the mistress of the Big House in
Malden, West Virginia, found a common bond of respect, trust, admiration and
love. A bond, which would last their remaining lifetimes and later rest in the
fabric of the folk lore of their descendants.
Viola died in 1903 at the age of
ninety one and Dr. Washington died twelve years later at the age of fifty
nine. Their thirty-one year relationship had a lasting impact on both
families. The re-connection began last year when two of Washington’s
granddaughters, Edith Washington Johnson and Margaret Washington Clifford,
were honored guests at our reunion in Lancaster, Ohio. The Ruffner Family was
honored with an invitation to join the Washington descendants this past June
on the plantation site of his birthplace.
Twelve members of the Ruffner Family Association represented
us in Roanoke, Virginia during the three days of memorials and reunion. They
were: Sam and Betty McNeely, Jane Lucas, Elisabeth Ruffner, George and Ruth
Ruffner, Hugh Baker, Melissa Ruffner, Shirley Ann Sheets, Joe Ruffner,
Virginia Rigg and Bob Sheets. Highlights of the well planned activities were
the “Know Your Family” slide show presented by Edith with the attending
descendants of Dr. Washington’s children being introduced. This was the
third reunion of the BTW Family Descendants and we were all very impressed and
admiring of the attendance of so many children and young persons who were
there to learn about and honor their illustrious ancestor. At the Reunion
Banquet, held at the Headquarters Hotel Clarion, we were treated with a Youth
Talent Showcase and met some of the outstanding scholars in the Washington
family who are following the quest their ancestor began back in 1872 when he
left employment in the Ruffner Home in Malden, West Virginia and headed to
Hampton Institute.
At their traditional business
meeting, our President Sam McNeely presented to Margaret and Edith a check
from the Ruffner Family Association funding effort to support the scholarship
fund at Tuskegee University. Speaking for the Washington Descendants, they
thanked all the Ruffners who contributed to the $1,120.00 gift given in the
memory of Gen. Lewis and Viola Ruffner. The emotional highlight of the Ruffner
presentation was the essay presented by Joseph Wilson Ruffner, Sr. of
Huntsville, Alabama. By reflecting on childhood stories, Cousin Joe was able
to impart the impact Dr. Washington’s relationship had on the Ruffner
family.
Saturday, June 24th was
spent at the Booker T. Washington National Monument. The 224 acres of the
original James and Elizabeth Burroughs Tobacco Plantation was designated a
National Monument in 1957 and encompasses the archeological sites and
restorations of many buildings which comprised the Burroughs’ Plantation.
The Park Superintendent, Rebecca Harriett, and her staff provided a well
organized and memorable experience for all, beginning with an official welcome
to the Big Tent by Marie Rust, Northeast Regional Director for the National
Park Service and a key note address by Robert Stanton, Director of the
National Park Service. The proper mood was established by the gospel choir,
“Voices of Unity.” Well over three hundred persons had gathered, many just
tourists visiting the Park, to witness the unveiling of a monumental sculpture
bust of Dr. Washington by sculptor, James Barnhill.
The actress, Ajena Rogers,
performed a one woman theatre piece, “Rachel Hatcher: Looking to Freedom.”
She later would join other park personnel in a “Walk Around The
Plantation” where dramatic presentations would enhance each building and its
purpose. These concluded with everyone gathering at the site of the Big House
where Miss Rogers portrayed Booker’s mother Jane in the dramatic reading of
the Emancipation Proclamation. As the sun set and darkness came upon the park,
we all walked to the Slave Cabin and there took part in a Candle Light Prayer
Vigil in Remembrance of their Slave Ancestors. Pictures of this special day at
the Monument Park can be seen on-line at www.NPS.gov.
On Sunday, the Washington Reunion concluded with a very
impressive slide show tribute to their members who had died since the last
reunion. The descendants of those memorialized gave personal reflections and
tributes. They all departed the beautiful Roanoke Valley with plans to hold
their 2002 gathering in Malden, West Virginia. They invited the members of the
Ruffner Family Association to join them in celebrating our common and
historical roots in the great Kanawha River Valley. David J. Barnett and his
brother Gerald D. Barnett of Houston, Texas are Co-chairmen for the Malden
Reunion. Watch for future announcements in the RR&R.
One could not leave this memorable gathering
without coming to terms with the power of the path leading from the slave
cabin where Booker T. Washington was born. It is a long but hallowed path
which cuts through the center of our nation’s heart. It is the path we must
walk, from ignorance to enlightenment, from despair to hope, from fear to
courage and from slavery to freedom. It is the soul/path of Dr. Booker T.
Washington.
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