New book on Nelson T. Gant will be featured during Black History Month event

ZANESVILLE − A celebration of Black history will take place at 2 p.m. Feb. 24 at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, in conjunction with the Nelson T. Gant Foundation.

Kyle Johnson will serve as the master of ceremonies while Ernie Bynum will speak on Black history facts and Phillip Tabler will provide the music.

Another feature of the day will be a book-signing by Wooster resident and author Larry Shirer. He will be signing his book, “Nelson T. Gant: From Slave to Prosperous Business Owner and Respected Citizen." He worked with the local Nelson T. Gant Foundation to pen the biography. It was published in October, and can also be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.

A second book signing with Shirer will be at noon Feb. 15 at the John McIntire Library.

Who was Nelson T. Gant?

Gant played a crucial role in establishing the AME Church, as well as other properties in Zanesville, as he, his wife and their daughter would eventually come to settle in Zanesville. As a businessman and entrepreneur, Gant would become one of the wealthiest in the city.

Born into slavery in Virginia in 1821, Gant gained his freedom in 1845. His owner, John Nixon, died the previous year and freed his slaves in his will. One of the first among them was Gant, as the two developed a close relationship.

Gant was able to purchase his wife's freedom in February 1847, with the help of abolitionists. Six years later he and his wife Anna Maria purchased a piece of land they called Pataskala. Today that property is the home of the Nelson Gant Municipal Stadium.

In the years that followed the couple's arrival in Zanesville, they amassed great wealth by buying and selling land, farming and owning several businesses, such as an ice manufacturing company.

Across the Muskingum River from Zanesville was an area called Putnam, named after a surveyor, Rufus Putnam of Marietta. Zanesville was pro-slavery and Putnam was anti-slavery. The two cities would have many disagreements and battles over slavery.

Gant straddled the line between pro-slavery Zanesville and abolitionist Putnam, and thrived in both.

"We believe he was a person that was likable, something about this guy people just liked, no matter how much they wanted to hate him for what his race was or anything like that," Steve Stewart, former president of the Nelson T. Gant Foundation previously told the Times Recorder.

Gant was also generous with the use of his property, hosting numerous community events, be it strawberry socials or providing land for a travelling circus to preform. "He was able to share with the community, grow with the community, to appreciate people for people, I think that is what set him apart," Stewart said.

"It is still a mystery how Gant acquired the knowledge how to do the things he did," Stewart noted.

The Gants' home still stands today on West Main Street and has been preserved by the Nelson T. Grant Foundation. The home was recently added to the Ohio Historical Underground Railroad Trail.

About the foundation

The foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 2002 and is dedicated to preserving Gant's home and his legacy.

Current foundation president Todd Ware said the organization has been working to restore the interior and the exterior of the home to its original version. They have completed about 90% of the project.

Ware said foundation and its 17 board members work on several fundraisers each year to help with the project. This includes the Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom, which features fellowship, live performances, music, educational activities, health awareness information, opportunities to support local Black vendors and food. This year they will include barbecue along side the traditional fish fry. Other fundraisers have included a chili dinner for Veteran's Day and a princess party, which they hope to offer again.

Additionally, the foundation has also been supported by the Straker Foundation, the Muskingum County Community Foundation and Muskingum County History.

The foundation also works along side community organizations, Ware said.

For example, members work with the youth program at Eastside Ministries, teaching them about African-American history, as well as about Gant and the life-changing obstacles he overcame. They also give history presentations at the John McIntire Library and have contributed historical artifacts − such as slave shackles and a replica of Harriet Tubman's gun − to the Zanesville Museum of Art.

The foundation membership is open to all. Those interested can attend the foundation's meetings, held at 11 a.m. the second Saturday of the month at the Gant home, 1845 W. Main St. For more information visit nelsontgrantfoundation.org.

Taste of Color planned Feb. 17

Another event that will celebrate Black History Month is the 29th annual Taste of Color. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Zanesville Civic League Community Center, 928 Jackson St.

The meal will consist of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, green beans, baked macaroni, dinner roll, cookie and water. The cost is $10. Patrons can dine at the center from noon to 3 p.m., to go meals will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and deliver will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Delivery requires a minimum order of five meals.

For more information or to place an order, call 740-452-7401.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Book on Nelson T. Gant highlighted during Black History celebration