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Walter Pantovic slavery collection

 Collection
Identifier: AMN 1041

Dates

  • 1687-1968
  • Majority of material found within 1800-1900

Copyright Note

The nature of the Avery Research Center's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Avery Research Center claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biography of Walter Pantovic

Walter Pantovic was born in Yugoslavia in 1965. At the age of two he immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Detroit, Michigan. He spent his formative years in and graduated from Hamtramck High School. An important influence on him in Detroit was that he had the opportunity to study black history in elementary school. Despite this important introduction to black history, courses in black history were not available to him in middle and high school. Nevertheless, he continued to study black history on his own.

In 1985 he moved to the New York/New Jersey area and opened an environmental contracting firm, called All City Environmental . His firm removes asbestos and lead paint, and does environmental testing, demolition, insulation and fireproofing.

Having an interest in black history since his formative years, he began collecting artifacts and antiques related to the subject. He was especially interested in artifacts and antiques related to slavery and the Civil War and has acquired an important and valuable collection of items from those periods. He has assembled an impressive collection of shackles, slave tags, photographs, period newspapers, manillas, bills of sale and authentic items that tell the true story of American slavery. The items in his collection alone belie the alleged "kindness" and "mildness" said to have characterized American slavery.

His motivation for collecting such items that many attempt to disassociate from the "American" experience is described best in his own words:

"I believe that it is a part of history that has been long enough ignored, we cannot continue to sweep atrocities like this into the past. It is better to educate our young people about our past mistakes so that they will not be repeated."

Extent

24 archival boxes

Language of Materials

English

Collection Arrangement

Collection is arranged in 8 series with subseries, organized as follows:

1.Documents a.18th Century Documents b.19th Century Documents c.Miscellaneous Documents 2.Correspondence 3.Ephemera 4.Printed Material a.Newspapers 18th and 19th Century 5.Maps 6.Prints 7.Photographs a.Unidentified People: Women b.Unidentified People: Men c.Unidentified People: Children d.Unidentified People: Adults and Children e.Unidentified People: Women and Men f.Identified People g.Scenes 8.Artifacts.

Physical Description

Documents, Correspondence, Ephemera, printed Material and Photographs contained in Boxes 1-5a. Artifacts contained in Artifact Boxes 1-18.

Additional Printed Material

Collection includes the following books, journals and pamphlets, see Avery catalog for location.

The Journal of Negro History. Ed. Woodson, Carter G., vol II no. 4, Oct. 1917.

Pamphlets: "Eneas Africanus"; "Vigilant Association"; "The Black Man: The Comparative Anatomy and Psychology of the American Negro"; 1825 18th Congressional report re: supression of slave trade. Single sheet from War Department's General Order #206. White man ordered to be hanged for murder of unknown "colored" man.

Books: Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. (2 copies) Dedication 1912. Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery. c. 1920, 1928. Beecher, Rev. Henry Ward. Beecher's Sermons, 3rd Series. 1869-1870. c1927, 1960. Benet, Stephen. John Brown's Body. 1955 Life of John Brown, Little Blue Book, #251, 1924 Harpers Ferry Invasion. Senate Report. 1860 George Washington Carver: An American Biography, 1934. My Bondage and My Freedom. 1855 Kennedy, Stetson. Jim Crow Guide. Kennedy, Stetson. The Klan Unmasked. Kennedy, Stetson. After Appomattox. Logan, Rayford ed., What The Negro Wants. 1944.

Title
Inventory of the Walter Pantovic slavery collection AMN 1041
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English

Repository Details

Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository

Contact:
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608