The Astonishing Story of the Slave Who Mailed Himself to Freedom
By: Denise Shelton
Tags: Black History, Innovation, Slavery, Problem Solving, Freedom

History

The Astonishing Story of the Slave Who Mailed Himself to Freedom

Henry “Box” Brown went on to become a noted abolitionist speaker, a showman, and a magician, but his first trick was undoubtedly his best Denise Shelton Follow Apr 22 · 7 min read

Image by Kent Barton (via https://www.neh.gov/)

The journey from slavery in the South to freedom in the North in antebellum America was a perilous one. Failure along the way could lead to cruel punishments or even death. But, the desire to escape enslavement was so strong in some that they took extraordinary risks.

Henry “Box” Brown was one of these people. His plan, to mail himself across the Mason-Dixon line inside a wooden crate, was audacious, ingenious, and more dangerous than it might seem. This is his story.

Early life at the Hermitage

“Tell me not of kind masters under slavery’s hateful rule! There is no such thing as a person of that description, for, as you will see, my master, one of the most distinguished of this uncommon class of slave-holders hesitated not to allow the wife of my love to be torn from my fond embrace, and the darling idols of my heart, my little children, to be snatched from my arms.” — Henry “Box” Brown from his autobiography

The Hermitage plantation house, Louisa County, VA (Image via http://piedmontvahistory.org/)

Henry Brown was born on the Hermitage plantation in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1819. His master, Revolutionary War veteran John Barret, made it a practice to treat his slaves better than usual, and his neighbors disapproved.

Brown spent his early years in the company of his parents and siblings, which was also unusual for a slave in the antebellum south. In his autobiography, Brown states that he was not beaten or starved, and his work was not particularly taxing. He was keenly aware from an early age, however, that his situation was entirely dependent upon the whims of his master, who to his slaves was a godlike creature. Barret did nothing to correct this false impression as it worked to his advantage.

Slave preaching on a cotton plantation (Source: engraving in The Illustrated London News, 5 Dec. 1863)

Brown writes that most of the slaves at the Hermitage believed Mr. Barret to be God and that his son was “the Savior.” What religious education they were given was intended to control them, not save their souls. In fact, many slave owners of the time didn’t believe black people had souls. They told their slaves that God would send them to Hell if they didn’t submit to their masters and serve them well. The fear of hellfire and damnation was a useful and effective tool to ensure cooperation.

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”— Ephesians 6:5

From farm to town

Richmond, Virginia, 1860s (Source: public domain)

Mr. Barret took a particular liking to Brown and ordered that he not be mistreated. One of Barret’s sons freed the 40 slaves he owned, so when the elder Barret lay dying, he called the teenage Brown to his side; he had every expectation of being freed himself.

Instead, Barret told him that he was giving him to his son William, and Brown was sent to work at a tobacco warehouse in Richmond. Brown’s situation was unusual because William Barret gave him his own money to rent lodgings and accumulate savings.

Marriage and children

A circa 1830 illustration of a slave auction in America (Source: Rischgitz/Hulton Archive, Getty Images)

As he grew older, Brown met and married Nancy, a slave belonging to another owner. Nancy’s owner agreed not to sell her if Brown would pay him regularly, which Brown faithfully did. The Browns had three children together and were expecting a fourth when Brown’s wife’s master reneged on their agreement.

The unscrupulous slave owner sold Brown’s wife and children to another master in North Carolina. He would never see them again.*

Nothing left to lose

Henry “Box” Brown (Source: The Narrative of Henry Box Brown, 1849)

After losing his wife and family, Brown was determined to escape the system that caused him much pain and hardship. The idea came to him suddenly: he would mail himself to freedom.

Brown recruited the help of a free black man by the name of James C. A. Smith and Samuel A. Smith (no relation), a white shoemaker who was sympathetic to Brown’s plight. They built a shipping crate that measured 3 by 2.67 by 2 feet, just big enough for Brown to crouch in, drilled air holes to prevent suffocation, and stenciled the words “Dry Goods” on the crate’s side. They also included the words “Handle with Care” and “This Side Up.”

A very special delivery

Brown chose to ship himself via the Adams Express Company because it was the shipper of choice for abolitionists shipping anti-slavery newspapers and pamphlets to slave states. More importantly, the company had a reputation for confidentiality and efficiency. Now he had to find someone in a free state willing to accept his “special delivery.”

The executive committee of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, 1851. James Miller McKim, one of those who met with Samuel Smith, is the man on the far right of the top row. (Source: Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College)

Brown dipped into his savings of $166 and paid Samuel Smith $86 to travel to Philadelphia to enlist the assistance of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Smith met with minister James Miller McKim, William Still, and Cyrus Burleigh, who agreed to help.

Upon returning to Richmond, Smith corresponded with the Philadelphians to finalize arrangements. The society’s members told Smith that they had enlisted the help of Quaker merchant Passmore Williamson. Brown’s crate would be received and opened at Williamson’s office and, if all went according to plan, Brown would be free.

Inside the box

On March 29, 1849, Brown began his journey to freedom. He climbed into the crate, and his friends nailed down the lid. There was no going back now. He sustained himself along the way with a small container of water and a few biscuits wrapped in a cloth.

Vintage postcard of a steamboat on the Ohio River (Source; public domain)

The entire trip took only 27 hours, but Brown found it to be an unpleasant experience. The box was transported by wagon three times during his journey, by railroad car twice, by steamboat, and by ferry.

Just as today, handlers treated the package instructions as more of a suggestion than an imperative.

They did not always handle the crate with care or position it upright. According to Brown’s personal account, he even spent some excruciating time upside down:

“I felt my eyes swelling as if they would burst from their sockets, and the veins on my temples were dreadfully distended with a pressure of blood upon my head.”

Free at last

From the film Henry’s Freedom Box (Weston Woods Studios/Scholastic, ©2009)

Brown finally arrived at his destination on March 30, 1849, members of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, including Williamson, McKim, William Still, opened the crate. According to Brown’s account, his first words were, “How do you do, gentlemen?” He then sang a psalm from the Bible he had chosen for the occasion.

A second flight

A British poster advertising “Henry Box Brown’s Mirror of Slavery”(here titled the “Grand Moving Mirror of Africa & America) (Source; University of Connecticut)

For a short time after he arrived in Philadelphia, Brown was a frequent speaker at abolitionist gatherings, sharing the story of his life and escape from slavery.

Unfortunately, the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 meant that Brown could be recaptured in a free state and sent back to his former master in the South. The freedom he had worked so hard to secure was threatened once again.

So, Brown moved to England, where, in 1855, he married Jane Floyd, a white woman from Cornwall, and started a new family. He lived there for 25 years, touring the country as a showman and magician.

Henry Brown and his family eventually returned to America in 1875. His family by then had joined his magic act, and they sometimes performed as a singing group. The last known performance of Henry Brown, evidenced by a contemporary newspaper ad, was with his wife Jane and daughter Annie in February of 1889 in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

Henry “Box” Brown died in Toronto, Canada, on June 15, 1897. His body rests in Toronto’s Necropolis Cemetery.

Henry Brown’s grave (Source: findagrave.com, photo by Brian Mackie)

“I waited patiently for the Lord

And he, in kindness to me, heard my calling

And he hath put a new song into my mouth

Even thanksgiving — even thanksgiving

Unto our God!”

— from Psalm 40, which Henry “Box” Brown sang after emerging from his shipping crate.