William C. Goodridge facts for kids

William C. Goodridge (1806 – January 1, 1873) was an important businessman in York, Pennsylvania, during the mid-1800s. He was an African-American abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. He was also a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

William Goodridge was born into slavery. But he and his wife, Evalina Wallace Goodridge, started a barbershop in 1827. They built a successful business empire through different investments. They risked everything they owned to help others escape slavery.

Goodridge helped many people find freedom. This included farmers and an enslaved person involved in the Christiana Resistance of 1851. In this event, Black and white abolitionists protected people who were being pursued by a slaveholder. Goodridge also helped Osborne Perry Anderson escape to Canada. Anderson was a key person with John Brown during his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Both the Christiana Resistance and the Harpers Ferry raid were big events leading up to the Civil War.

William Goodridge's Early Life and Family

William C. Goodridge Mural in York, Pennsylvania

William C. Goodridge was born in 1806 in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother was African American and his father was white. Because his mother was enslaved, William was also born into slavery.

When he was six years old, William was sent to work for Reverend Dunn, a tanner in York, Pennsylvania. A tanner prepares animal hides to make leather. As part of the agreement, Dunn promised to educate and train William.

In 1822, when William was 16, the tannery business failed. Reverend Dunn set William free. William then trained to become a barber. Later, he was able to buy his own barbershop in York.

In 1827, Goodridge married Evalina Wallace from Baltimore. They had seven children together. Five of their children lived to be adults: Glenalvin J., Emily O., Wallace L., Mary, and William O. Evalina Goodridge, also known as Emily, passed away in December 1852. Her obituary mentioned that she was an equal partner in her husband's businesses.

William C. Goodridge left York around 1865. He died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 1, 1873. He is buried at the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery.

Building a Business Empire

The Goodridges bought a property at 125 East Philadelphia Street in 1827. This property included a house, a stable, and a summer kitchen.

William Goodridge's barbershop in York's Centre Square became very popular. It expanded to sell candy, makeup, jewelry, and toys. They opened another store next door and even tried running a Bath House. Goodridge also created his own hair growth treatment called "Oil of Celsus." He sold it to barbers in many cities, including Philadelphia. His advertisements for "Oil of Celsus" showed support from many important white businessmen in York. This showed that rich white customers trusted him. His product also led to the first glass bottle with "York, PA" and the Goodridge name printed on it.

In 1840, Goodridge briefly opened another barbershop in Philadelphia. This only lasted a year, but it might have helped him make important business connections. In 1838, the railroad came to York from Baltimore. In 1842, Goodridge started a freight delivery service called the "Reliance Line of Burthen Cars." This service delivered goods to 22 towns along the railroad line between York and Philadelphia.

As their businesses grew, the Goodridges invested in commercial and residential properties. They even bought a former school building and gave it to the African-American school. In 1847, they sold their business center in Centre Square and built an even bigger one. This new building, called Centre Hall, was a five-story commercial property. It rented space to a tavern, a band, and York's first newspaper, The Democrat. Their barbershop and store also moved to Centre Hall. They even ran an employment office there for a short time and rented out rooms on the third floor. Centre Hall was the first five-story building in York.

Also in 1847, their oldest son, Glenalvin J. Goodridge, became a Daguerreotype photographer. Glenalvin first learned from a traveling photographer who rented space in their old business center. Then, he started his own photography business. The top floor of the new Centre Hall was designed for Glenalvin's "Skylight Studio." This became the longest-running early photography studio in York. His younger brothers, Wallace and William, also learned the photography business. The studio later moved to East Saginaw, Michigan, in 1863 and stayed open until 1922.

The Goodridge businesses advertised in newspapers and city directories. Their ads often included wood engraved pictures and even poetry. Sometimes, they advertised several Goodridge businesses in one ad. Goodridge's advertising decreased in the 1850s. This might have been to keep a lower profile after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It's also possible that his wife, Eliza, was the main designer of their ads. Her death in 1852 happened around the same time advertising decreased.

By 1856, Goodridge owned at least 12 properties in York, including Centre Hall. He was a wealthy and influential man. He was also a good friend of fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Helping People Escape Slavery

The Goodridge house had a secret hideaway under the kitchen. This hidden space was found during renovations in the 1900s. It is believed that Goodridge hid freedom seekers there. He also had a hideaway under the stairs in Centre Hall. From these spots, he would transport people east across the Susquehanna River to Columbia or on to Philadelphia. His Reliance Line rail cars may have had secret compartments to carry people to freedom. The rail depot was very close to his house. The term "Underground Railroad" is thought to have come from the Susquehanna Valley. This is where enslaved people would disappear as if on an underground railroad.

Goodridge is best known for helping William Parker escape to safety. This happened after the Christiana Resistance in 1851. Parker and his wife were protecting enslaved people on their farm in Christiana. Goodridge is believed to have helped Parker escape slavery himself in 1840. They remained friends and worked together for many years. The stress of the 1851 events may have contributed to his wife's death in 1852.

Goodridge also helped Osborne Perry Anderson on the Underground Railroad. This was after John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.

Because the Underground Railroad was a secret network, we may never know how many enslaved people William Goodridge helped escape to freedom.

Challenges and Difficult Times

William Goodridge sometimes helped people get loans using his property as security. Between 1856 and 1858, Goodridge was unable to pay back loans for himself and others. He had to declare bankruptcy. The sheriff then sold off all of his property at an auction. Goodridge went back to being a barber as his main way to earn money.

There was a financial panic in 1857, but it didn't greatly affect most York businessmen. It's possible that the banks called Goodridge's loans because of the Dred Scott Decision. This decision made it harder for enslaved people to gain freedom. Banks might also have been more aware of Goodridge's work as an abolitionist. York County was mostly Democratic and supported slaveholders' property rights. The panic also hurt the railroad industry, where Goodridge had invested.

Two months after Centre Hall and other properties were sold, Glenalvin J. Goodridge, William's son, also had financial trouble. Glenalvin's photography studio was in Centre Hall. Glenalvin and his wife, Rhoda Grey Goodridge, owned several properties near the first Goodridge home. After his father lost the family businesses, Glenalvin was left with only one house. He went back to teaching for a year and moved his studio temporarily. Later, he found a new space to rent and even opened a second photography studio in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

In 1862, Glenalvin J. Goodridge was accused of a crime. Even though the case against him was weak and he had an alibi, he was found guilty. He was sent to prison for 18 months, where he caught tuberculosis. William Goodridge worked very hard to get his son released and pardoned. He gathered 106 signatures on a petition to the governor. When that didn't work, he organized a letter-writing campaign for his son. In 1865, Glenalvin was finally released by the governor. The condition was that he had to leave Pennsylvania.

In 1867, William C. Goodridge traveled with Glenalvin and his family to Saginaw, Michigan. His other children, Mary, Wallace, and William, had already moved there. William then returned to York to finish his business affairs. After that, he moved to Minneapolis to live with his daughter Emily and her family. Glenalvin died in November 1867 from the tuberculosis he caught in prison. In 1868, Glenalvin's two oldest sons also died, possibly from the same disease.

In January 1868, a fire destroyed the house in Saginaw that held Glenalvin's large library and collection of photos. Any pictures the family had in Saginaw after that were likely destroyed in another fire in 1872. This second fire burned down the photography studio. Even though the remaining Goodridge brothers saved some equipment, at least 1000 negatives were lost. They built a new studio in 1873. But much of Glenalvin's photographic work, including pictures of his family, was gone.

Lasting Legacy

York County historians Georg R. Sheets and Terrence "Dutchie" Downs under the historical marker in front of Goodridge's home in York, now the Goodridge Freedom Center

The Goodridge home still stands at 123 E. Philadelphia St, in York, Pennsylvania. A historical marker is outside the building. It was put there by the State of Pennsylvania in 1987. The historic site was given to the Crispus Attucks Association of York in 1993. The Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground Railroad Museum is located there. It is owned and run by the Association and opened to the public in May 2016.

The William C. Goodridge Academy in York serves students in grades 6–12. It is part of the School District of the City of York.

A large mural about Goodridge is on a building in York. It was painted by Don and Jared Gray and finished in June 2000. The mural shows one of Goodridge's advertisements for his building and studio. It also shows a barber pole, a rail car, and Goodridge at different stages of his life.

Goodridge's oldest daughter, Emily O. Goodridge Grey, and her husband moved to St. Anthony, Minnesota, in the mid-1850s. They became important members of the African American community there. Emily wrote about her trip and settling in Minnesota. This was published in the Minnesota Historical Society Journal in 1984. The Emily O. Goodridge Grey Accelerated Charter School, named after her, operated in Minneapolis from 2008 to 2015.

The story of Emily O. Goodridge Grey helping to free Eliza Winston in Minneapolis in 1860 is told in several books. She and her husband are honored as important abolitionists at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

The Goodridge Brothers' photography studio was started in 1847 by Glenalvin J. Goodridge in York. It moved to East Saginaw, Michigan, in 1863. The three brothers ran it until Glenalvin's death in 1867. Then, Wallace L. and William O. Goodridge ran it until William's death in 1890. The studio closed in 1922 when Wallace died. The Goodridge Brothers' studio was known for its excellent work and new technology. They documented the logging industry and other developments in Saginaw. Their photos were shown internationally, including at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris and the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Their photos were also in publications and postcards. Hundreds of portraits were taken in their studio. Their achievements were documented in a book called Enterprising Images: The Goodridge Brothers, African American Photographers, 1847–1922.

An exhibit about the Goodridge Brothers' photography traveled around Michigan. It was later given to the Goodridge Freedom Center in York. Research materials used for the book are at Saginaw Valley State University's Zahnow Library. Some of these materials were in the 2014 documentary film Through a Lens Darkly. The Public Libraries of Saginaw and Saginaw's Castle Museum also have Goodridge Brothers' materials.

Mary Goodridge married John Nichols in 1862. She opened the Nichols Wig and Style shop in Saginaw, Michigan. She helped many young women there and partnered with her sister-in-law Gertrude Watson Goodridge after William's death.

Glenalvin J. Goodridge Jr. returned to York with his mother in 1891. He reopened the family barbershop by 1898. He died in 1928. He and his wife had no children. They are buried in Lebanon cemetery in York with Glenalvin's mother Rhoda.

William C. Goodridge has been portrayed by reenactors Lee Smallwood and Robert Brinson.

Images for kids

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  Glenalvin J. Goodridge Jr. is buried in Lebanon cemetery, in York PA. His grandmother Evalina Goodridge is also buried there per her obituary, but no grave marker identifies her remains.