Abolitionist Thad Hyatt makes a fortune inventing translucent paving glass used to add light to city sidewalks. In 1854 he dedicates his wealth to ensuring that the new Kansas Territory emerges as a Free State. Along with ninety companions he emigrates to Kansas in 1856 and establishes the town of Hyattville. He lobbies President Buchanan for agricultural aid to struggling farmers and begins a series of meetings with John Brown, whom he subsequently provides with funding. After Brown’s ill-fated 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry, Hyatt refuses to comply with a Congressional subpoena to testify as a possible co-conspirator, and is jailed for three months before being released. This photo is taken during his prison stay and he sends a copy to his counsel and fellow abolitionist, Samuel Sewell.
Thaddeus Hyatt
