The Civil War Soldiers
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Joseph Evins
Charles Finnemore
Sanford Jackson
William Jennings
Genalvin Marse
Charles Thompson
Christopher Thompson'
James Thompson
John Thompson
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Civil War Tablets
THE TOWN OF AMHERST IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE PUBLIC VIEWING HOURS FOR THE EXHIBIT OF THE CIVIL WAR TABLETS STARTING JULY 26, 2021
ABOUT
The Civil War Tablets were donated to the Town of Amherst by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893 to commemorate the 300+ soldiers from the Amherst region who served in the Union forces, including those African Americans who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment and 5th Calvary.
Amherst residents Christopher, John, Henry James, and Charles Thompson who served in the 54th Regiment, are among those memorialized in the plaques. The Thompson brothers were among the troops to arrive in Texas in 1865, one of the final hold out states to admit defeat during the Civil War. They were among the troops to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and formally mark the day that all slaves in the United States were freed, which is now a national holiday, Juneteenth. The Thompson brothers are laid to rest in the West Cemetery in the Amherst.
Amherst resident, Dudley Bridges, Sr., spent the last years of his life advocating and fundraising to honor these handcrafted memorials with prominent and befitting placement within the community. The exhibit is curated and guided by Debora Bridges, daughter of Dudley Bridges Sr. and descendant of the Thompson's.
VISITING INFORMATION
Location: Bangs Community Center at 70 Boltwood Walk in Amherst, MA 01002
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
CONTACT US
Civil War Tablets
Debora Bridges, Curator & Guide
Phone: (413) 259-0330
Email: bridgesd@amherstma.gov
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Bridging the Divide | News | Amherst College
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he history of the Black and Afro-Indigenous community in the Town of Amherst, and at Amherst College specifically, is as vibrant and rich as it is marked by profound racism. But, as with so many such histories across the U.S., the details have been lost to time and whitewashing. Anika Lopes, a sixth-generation Black and Indigenous resident of the town and creator of the organization Ancestral Bridges, is working to recover those Amherst stories—dating as far back as the 1700s. These photos and the men featured in them, who all have ties to the College, are a small sampling of a narrative comprising many lives and generations, told through images and artifacts, many of which come from Lopes’ own ancestors.
In her words, these families, who resided mainly in the historically Black West End neighborhood of Amherst, “started businesses and churches, provided homes to Black people newly arrived from the South, performed jazz music internationally and were denied scholarships, jobs and opportunities due to systemic racism.” The Ancestral Bridges exhibit was on display in Frost Library from February to August 2024; the town also offers an associated walking tour. Lopes says her hope is that “these images and stories raise questions, prompt further research, and challenge us all to meet our collective responsibility to build a more just and equitable future.”
Anika Lopes, a sixth generation Black and Indigenous resident of the town, is working to recover Amherst stories dating as far back as the 1700s.
ImageImageCharles Thompson was nicknamed “the Professor of Dust and Ashes” in reference to his decades of work at Amherst College as a custodian, but he led a long and adventurous life far beyond his moniker. Born in Portland, Maine, Thompson first worked on a whaling ship that made years-long circumnavigations of the world, before moving to Boston to work as a coachman and finally settling in Amherst around 1856. He was featured in the Olio yearbook for 40 years, including (left) in 1877 and (right) c. 1890.
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Today, I received my copy of the Fall 2024 Amherst magazine. I was particularly interested in the article entitled "Bridging the Divide" which provides some of the background information for Charles Thompson and Wilbert Lew.Both Charles Thompson and Wilbert Lew are on my Memorial List. Charles Thompson is one of the nine Civil War Soldiers that we recall during the Memorial Service. As for Wilbert Lew, I prefer calling him "The Horse Whisperer".Below is the information I have compiled for my "Amherst College Biographies" blog. Hopefully, this information will provide a more complete history for Charles Thompson and Wilbert Lew.Peace,Everett "Skip" JenkinsClass of 197588888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888The Civil War Soldiers
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Joseph Evins
Charles Finnemore
Sanford Jackson
William Jennings
Genalvin Marse
Charles Thompson
Christopher Thompson'
James Thompson
John Thompson
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Civil War Tablets
THE TOWN OF AMHERST IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE PUBLIC VIEWING HOURS FOR THE EXHIBIT OF THE CIVIL WAR TABLETS STARTING JULY 26, 2021
ABOUT
The Civil War Tablets were donated to the Town of Amherst by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1893 to commemorate the 300+ soldiers from the Amherst region who served in the Union forces, including those African Americans who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment and 5th Calvary.
Amherst residents Christopher, John, Henry James, and Charles Thompson who served in the 54th Regiment, are among those memorialized in the plaques. The Thompson brothers were among the troops to arrive in Texas in 1865, one of the final hold out states to admit defeat during the Civil War. They were among the troops to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and formally mark the day that all slaves in the United States were freed, which is now a national holiday, Juneteenth. The Thompson brothers are laid to rest in the West Cemetery in the Amherst.
Amherst resident, Dudley Bridges, Sr., spent the last years of his life advocating and fundraising to honor these handcrafted memorials with prominent and befitting placement within the community. The exhibit is curated and guided by Debora Bridges, daughter of Dudley Bridges Sr. and descendant of the Thompson's.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888Wilbert Lew, Class of 1883
Wilbert Lew did not educate people—but he likely educated horses. That was a phrase in fashion in the 1880s, to “educate” a horse meant to break him of bad behavior. This was a skill highly in demand: Some estimates hold that there were 11 million horses in the nation at that time. Lew learned his craft from one of the top horse whisperers of the day: Dennis Magner, author of 1872’s The New System of Educating Horses and several other books on how to treat illnesses in horses and other animals.There were almost no official veterinary schools at the time. The profession was in its colt stage: young and wobbly. It wasn’t until 1945 that Tuskegee started the first program for Black veterinarians.
In census and directory records, Lew is listed as working at the J.N. Leonard silk factory in Florence, Mass., part of Northampton, in 1888-89. From 1890, he is listed as a veterinary surgeon and dentist in Florence.
Wilbert Blanchard Lew was born in Gardner, Mass., in 1861, and spent part of his childhood in Florence. He lived in the same Pine Street neighborhood where Sojourner Truth and David Ruggles had once dwelled, when the town was a hive of abolitionist activity. His father’s occupation is listed as “hair dresser,” his mother’s as “keeping house.”
There was an ad for his services in the 1891 city directory: “Dr. Wilbert B. Lew, Veterinary Specialist and Dentist. Agent for The American Stock Growers’ Mutual Benefit Association. Proprietor of Karmoline, Royal Tar, Canadian Liniment.”
In 1920 he was appointed “inspector of animals” for the town of Amherst. He died in September 1923, after four decades of treating and educating horses and other animals, and riding into the dawn of a new profession.
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