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Monday, September 7, 9-10 pm ET
The site where a bridge may have been burned to thwart General Sherman’s attempt to cross into Columbia, South Carolina; a penny stamp that may be connected to a landmark civil rights case; and metal sheets that look like printing plates for Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train,” performed by Duke Ellington.
Civil War Bridge - Clearing some newly purchased property along the
Broad River in Columbia, South Carolina, the owner discovered
evidence of an old bridge abutment. He searched the river for clues
and thinks he may have pinpointed the location where Confederates
burned the bridge to thwart General Sherman's attempt to cross into
Columbia to continue his scorch-and-burn campaign. HISTORY
DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray goes to Columbia to examine the
evidence and see if this discovery will redraw the maps of the
Civil War.
Scottsboro Boys Stamp - A contributor bought an inconspicuous
black and white stamp at an outdoor market in Scottsboro, Alabama.
"Save the Scottsboro Boys" is printed on the stamp above nine black
faces behind prison bars and two arms prying the bars apart. One
arm bears the tattoo "ILD." On the bottom of the stamp is printed
"one cent." The Scottsboro Boys were falsely accused and convicted
of raping two white girls in 1931 on a train near Scottsboro,
Alabama. It took several appeals, two cases before the US Supreme
Court and nearly two decades before all nine finally walked free.
How is the stamp connected to this landmark civil rights case?
HISTORY DETECTIVES host Gwendolyn Wright consults with a stamp
expert to discover how a tiny penny stamp could make a difference
in the young men's defense effort.
Duke Ellington Plates - A New York man took a stroll through
Harlem 20 years ago and stumbled across boxes of sheet music in a
dumpster. Among the paper scores were metal sheets that look like
printing plates for "Take the A Train," written by Billy Strayhorn
and performed by jazz great Duke Ellington. Scratches and ink
smudges mar the plates, signs that someone might have run these
through a printing press, but there's no apparent copyright stamp.
HISTORY DETECTIVES host Tukufu Zuberi sets out to find the story
behind these plates and to determine the role they played in this
jazz classic.