William Lanson facts for kids

William Lanson (born around 1776-1782; died 1851) was a free Black man from New Haven, Connecticut. He is remembered as a talented engineer and builder. He was also an important leader in New Haven’s Black community. Lanson built a large part of New Haven’s Long Wharf in 1810 and 1811. This made the wharf almost 1500 feet longer. At 3480 feet, it became the longest wharf in the United States at that time. Lanson also helped build the New Haven part of the Farmington Canal. He built the steamboat wharf and much of the East Haven bridge too. He was even elected Black Governor for the years 1825 to 1830.

William Lanson's Early Life

William Lanson was born into slavery. He might have been born in Derby, Waterbury, or Woodbury. Later, he ran away from Southington. It seems Lanson gained his freedom in 1797. He arrived in New Haven sometime between 1803 and 1807.

Lanson's Family Life

Census records from 1820 show William Lanson living in New Haven. He was about 45 years old and had a family of 13 people. In 1830, a William Lanson was listed as 36 years old with a family of 4. William Lanson had a brother named Laban. Another person, Reuben Lanson, owned property with William. William also had a son named Isaiah. The exact connections between all these family members are not fully known.

Lanson's Life and Businesses in New Haven

William Lanson moved to New Haven around 1803. He started working in stone quarrying and construction. Some of his family joined him. They began to buy land. In 1807, William and Reuben Lanson bought property. This area was outside the original "nine squares" of New Haven. Land was cheap there. The Lansons bought at least thirteen pieces of land between 1807 and 1824.

This area became known as "New Guinea." By the 1820s, the Lansons ran several businesses. They had a grocery store, a livery stable, a clothing store, and a hotel. They also had a tenement building. They rented homes to a growing Black population. These people often found it hard to rent from White landlords. This Black community also provided workers for William Lanson’s projects. William Lanson’s son, Isaiah Lanson, said that in 1832 his father was worth about $20,000.

Lanson was highly respected by the Black community. They called him “King Lanson.” They elected him Black Governor from 1825 to 1830. Lanson was also active in the Underground Railroad. He helped enslaved people who had run away find safety. He also worked with Simeon Jocelyn, a White abolitionist. Together, they helped the Amistad captives get legal help. Lanson and Jocelyn also started a Black church called the African United Ecclesiastical Society.

As a free landowner, Lanson had the legal right to vote. However, Black people were not allowed to vote at that time. In 1814, he and another Black landowner, Bias Stanley, asked the Connecticut General Assembly to let them not pay taxes. They said they should not pay taxes unless they could vote. The General Assembly said no to their request. A few years later, the new state constitution of 1818 clearly said that Black people could not vote.

Lanson's Engineering and Building Projects

Lanson is best known for his work on New Haven’s commercial infrastructure. This includes building almost 1500 feet of the Long Wharf. An eighty-foot square pier was built in the harbor in 1770-1772. This allowed large ships to dock and unload. But the cargo still had to be rowed a long way to the old wharf on shore. Lanson’s work connected this pier to the existing wharf.

After the success of the Erie Canal, New Haven business people wanted better access to inland Connecticut and Massachusetts. They formed the Farmington Canal Company in 1824. With steamboat packets running between New Haven and New York City, investors saw a chance. They wanted New Haven to become the most important port in southern New England.

James Hillhouse, who was in charge of the project, hired Lanson. Lanson began building the walls of the canal basin in New Haven Harbor in 1827. Lanson hired 20 to 30 free Black men to help him. He got his own stone from Blue Mountain in East Haven. Lanson paid all his workers fully. However, he was never fully paid for his own work. He estimated he lost about $2,600.

Challenges and Later Life

At first, Lanson and his family were praised for their contributions to New Haven. White leaders in business and religion were happy to see a Black businessman succeed. New Haven’s Black population grew from 390 to 625 between 1810 and 1820. At least 140 of these African Americans lived in Lanson’s New Guinea neighborhood.

However, by the 1820s, many White New Haven residents became worried. They were concerned about the growing Black population on the edge of town. The Farmington Canal and harbor development happened at the same time as the city began to industrialize. The need for workers brought many sailors and unskilled laborers to work on the canal and docks. Between 1820 and 1830, the city’s population grew from 8,350 to 11,000. This included hundreds of Irish immigrants. Many lived in Slineyville, next to Lanson’s properties.

As the city became more industrial, the need for unskilled labor decreased. New industries like carriage-making and clock-making needed skilled workers. These factories were near Lanson's New Guinea. This made the area a good place for skilled workers to live.

Some people in New Haven feared the growing number of poor White people. There was also a racist fear of the increasing Black population. The American Colonization Society (ACS) started a movement to send Black Americans back to Africa. They claimed Black people would negatively affect the White population. Poor Black people were also seen as a burden on taxes. Newspapers began to spread negative stories about Lanson. Banks also started demanding that he repay his loans. Lanson was forced to sell his businesses to White buyers. He then bought property on the river and opened a new hotel called Liberia.

Lanson faced many legal problems. He was jailed several times on minor charges. In the end, Lanson lost everything he owned. He died in 1851 in his 70s, living in poverty.

Honoring William Lanson

Lanson was recently honored with a bronze statue. It is located on the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway in New Haven. The statue was dedicated in September 2020. This was a joint effort by the City of New Haven and the Amistad Committee. No one knows exactly what Lanson looked like. The sculptor, Dana King of Oakland, California, used models from West Africa to create a possible image of him.