Site of first Battle Creek-area home of Sojourner Truth discovered at Denso facility

Sojourner Truth is a part of the history of Battle Creek.

We know that because of the location of the larger-than-life statue of the pioneer greeting visitors to the downtown area of the town she called home.

But do we know the exact location of her first days in the Battle Creek area?

That was the question asked by local historian Kevin Ailes.

Ailes, with the help of his wife Amy Ailes, went in search of the spot where Truth first had a home in Harmonia, a former small town, now lost to history, on the fringes of Battle Creek. They found evidence of her first residence in the area and went on to discover the very ground her humble home was built upon − a site that is now part of the Denso thermal manufacturing facility.

Ailes spoke at the Denso facility on Tuesday as the company helped commemorate the discovery at an event that included local dignitaries, Denso employees as well Sojourner Truth historian and reenactor Donna Rickman of Battle Creek.

"We went in search of the exact location of the first home that brought Sojournor Truth to this area and I believe we have found it," Kevin Ailes said. "In my opinion, the more you can do as an opportunity to bring the contributions of Sojourner Truth to light, the better. She inspired persons of color, and women of the time, to demand to be treated as equals to anyone else.

"It is my desire that my wife and I are mentioned as the persons who located her first home in the Battle Creek area, but I believe the star of the show is Sojourner Truth."

Truth, one of the most famous African-American women of the 19th century, was a former slave who went on to become a renowned abolitionist and women's rights advocate.

Finding a small piece of history connected to Truth was the driving force of the search of her original home in the area. Through the use of maps from the time period from the Willard Library, title information from the Register of Deeds office in Marshall and Google Earth imaging, Ailes was able to pinpoint the exact location of her modest home. Ailes, who spends a lot of his time researching and looking for shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and beyond, this time took his talents to the land.

And he found the location of her first home, on Lot 65, purchased by Truth for $400, on a plot of land in the nearly forgotten town of Harmonia.

"We found the original plat map for Harmonia," Ailes said, adding Truth also bought Lot 48 for $40. "I have to feel bad for surveyor John Meacham when he arrived on the site in 1855. The land was purchased and development began in 1843. By 1850 some of the institutional buildings had already been built. The individual lots were not surveyed until 1855, so there likely were some pretty unhappy people learning where their property lines actually stood.

"I am very impressed to see an organization like Denso be so interested in the history that took place on their land. As an historian, I can come across a lot of secrets, not to this caliber, but a lot things, as history is all around us. And I like to investigate it further and generally the answer is, 'We aren't interested' or 'We don't want you on our land, or in our building.' But Denso embraced this and I am very pleased to see how this is getting recognized."

Derrick Boyd, a manager at Denso, said finding out that he had been working all along near the spot where Truth's home once stood was enlightening.

"It's a proud feeling to know that someone of that magnitude once lived here. I can look at that spot everyday, when I come to work, and know that she was once right here," Boyd said of his work location, which is near the recycling center, described in detail by Denso as being 'about 20 feet from Door W-49'.

Ailes pointed out that Sojourner Truth lived at the spot on the Denso location from 1857 through 1867. In 1862 a large tornado went through and devastated the town.

"It was rebuilt, but the area was never the same and went into decline. It is likely that she desired a place with better amenities and future security when she decided to move to Battle Creek in 1867. Records indicate that she retained title of the property and her daughter lived in Harmonia until 1896," Ailes said.

Truth was born in New York as Isabella Baumfree in about 1789. According to reports previously in the Enquirer, in 1843, Baumfree shed her slave name and became Sojourner Truth. The illiterate Truth later dictated her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert, and in 1850, William Lloyd Garrison privately published her book, "The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave." A year later, Truth gave her famed "Ain't I a woman?" speech at the Ohio Women's Convention.

In 1856, Truth was invited by Battle Creek Quakers to attend a Friends of Human Progress meeting. In June 1857, she purchased an acre of land on the edge of the village of Harmonia, which she called home until moving to 38 College St. in Battle Creek in 1867.

During Tuesday's event, Ailes presented historical documents about the property and Truth, and Denso showcased educational placards honoring her impact on American history. The Truth home site discovery event wrapped up Denso's Black History Month celebration across sites in the United States.

“The discovery of Sojourner Truth’s home site and our event today is such an inspiration,” said Genetasia Tatum, a senior HR business partner at Denso in Battle Creek. “I’m also proud of my teammates in the Denso Black Resource Network for helping organize it. This is why we do our work – to support one another, educate and build community.”

According to Ailes, part of the mystery regarding the original Truth home was also what happened to Harmonia. In 1917, the land became part of Fort Custer and later the Fort Custer Industrial Park. Denso began operations on the property in 1984.

"The last mention I see of Harmonia on maps of the period is in 1906. By that time there were only just a few scattered buildings," Ailes said. "In 1917, the construction of Fort Custer had begun and what remained of the town was leveled with the exception of the school. Ironically, although the persons who built the school were pacifists, the Army used the school building for artillery training. After World War II, the Army scaled back the size of the fort and much of the land was released for civilian use. Google Earth images I have of the area prior to the building of Denso show only dirt and a few trails."

Rickman, who has given historical presentations at the Battle Creek Regional History Museum, said the discovery is of great importance to the Truth story.

"What is so wonderful is identifying the properties that she owned. A previous slave that was able to own three or four properties. She's a a self-made woman," Rickman said. "Finding out about this spot. Her first place in this area. This marks the spot. It is right here and that is very relevant. Knowing where she was, just like her time in Northhampton (NY), before moving here, and of course on College Street in Battle Creek after this. This is another part of her story. And this spot was very key to her spiritual life as well. Because she came here for that reason and this is where she arrived, at this spot."

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Site of first home of Sojourner Truth discovered at Denso facility