Hough in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Charles Waddell Chesnutt

Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, April 4, 2009

1. Charles Waddell Chesnutt Marker

Inscription. Charles Waddell Chesnutt was born in Cleveland on June 30, 1858 and died November 15, 1932. He has been called "The pioneer of the color line" and was an author, crusader for racial and social justice, humanitarian, and forerunner of the Harlem Renaissance, a black literary movement from World War I through the mid-1930s. With the publication of The Conjure Woman in 1899, he emerged as the first person of acknowledged African descent to be published by an established publisher of the day. During his diverse career, Chesnutt operated a successful court reporting business, passed the Ohio Bar in 1887 with the highest score, championed the cause of equal rights for all people without regard to caste or color, and published six books: The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, Frederick Douglas, The House Behind the Cedars, The Marrow of Tradition, and The Colonel's Dream.

Erected 2003 by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Cinergy Foundation, and the Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 59-18.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights

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. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1874.

Location. 41° 30.52′ N, 81° 37.079′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in Hough. Marker is on Lamont Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cleveland OH 44106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. University Circle (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fields of Ideals (approx. half a mile away); Michelson-Morley Experiment (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named The Michelson-Morley Experiment (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of the Home of the Poet Harold Hart Crane (approx. ¾ mile away); The Cozad-Bates House / Anti-Slavery and Abolition (approx. ¾ mile away); Frances Payne Bolton (approx. 0.8 miles away); The History of Hough (1799-1979) (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.

Regarding Charles Waddell Chesnutt.

"Frederick Douglas" is mentioned. Is that "Frederick Douglass"?

Also see . . . Charles W. Chesnutt and his works. (Submitted on April 4, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.)

Charles Waddell Chesnutt Marker location image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, April 4, 2009

2. Charles Waddell Chesnutt Marker location

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,598 times since then and 49 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.