The most important writing of Thaddeus Stevens’ life may well have been the phrasing of the Constitutional Amendments addressing the end of slavery (13th), the provision of equal protection under the law for all citizens (14th) and the right to vote for all male citizens (15th). But his most moving writing is certainly his epitaph:

I repose in this quiet and secluded spot,
Not from any natural preference for solitude,
But finding other cemeteries limited by charter rules
as to race,
I have chosen this that I might illustrate
in my death
The principles I advocated through
a long life,
Equality of man before his Creator.

Bob Dylan, who admires Stevens greatly, comments in his Chronicles, Volume I (p.39, Simon & Shuster hardback) that “folksingers could sing songs like an entire book, but only in a few verses.” Stevens’ autobiography seems contained in those six lines above and his whole philosophy in the last line alone. Other authors and admirers of Stevens’ life and work have visited his home this summer, finding a connection to the work they are pursuing.

Dr. Kent McConnell is a Professor of History at Wake Forrest University. Most recently he contributed an essay, "Betwixt and Between", to the book Vale of Tears: New Essays on Religion and Reconstruction, Edward Blum and Scott Poole, eds. Mercer University Press, 2005. He is currently working on a book for Johns Hopkins University Press entitled There Must be Tears in the Houses: Searching for Religious Meaning from the Carnage of the American Civil War. Dr. McConnell's admiration for Stevens is such that he has named his youngest son Thaddeus.

Another visitor to the site is an old friend. Fergus Bordewich is author of Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America’s First Civil Rights Movement (Amistad, April 2005) and the newly released Washington: The Making of the American Capital (Amistad, May 2008). Mr. Bordewich offered staunch support in print for completing the archaeology at the site that revealed the cistern. His interest and direction towards sources that might illuminate the use of deep hiding places along the Underground Railroad has been helpful.

As Mr. Bordewich and Dr. McConnell continue their writing about the period of the American Civil War they help us better understand not just Stevens in his time but also Stevens’ impact on our time.

We look forward to their continued visits.