Henry Minton House

Our second stop is the former home of Henry Minton. Henry Minton was one of the most wealthy and important caterers in Philadelphia from 1845-1875, and was also mentioned repeatedly in The Philadelphia Negro. He is recognized as one of the most prominent members of the catering industry, which was one of the best ways for a Black person at the time to gain wealth and some sense of upward mobility – a very rare thing at the time. Minton’s story started humbly, in Du Bois’ words:

“Henry Minton came from Nansemond County, Virginia, at the age

of nineteen, arriving in Philadelphia in 1830. He was first apprenticed

to a shoemaker, then went into a hotel as a waiter. Finally he opened

dining rooms at Fourth and Chestnut.”

Minton being from outside Philadelphia was not uncommon, at the time of Du Bois’ writing, 45% of the Black population in the city had immigrated from outside of the city. Usually, it was a difficult life, Du Bois writes that:

“The new immigrants usually settle in pretty well-defined

localities in or near the slums, and thus get the worst pos

sible introduction to city life. In 1848, five thousand of

the 6600 immigrants lived in the narrow and filthy alleys

of the city and Moyamensing.”

However, catering did represent a way out of this difficult situation for a small number of Black people in the city. Du Bois elaborates on this in the book, focusing on how the monopoly that Black people had on home service, cooking, and some waitering could be transformed into the entrepreneurial activities of caterer and restaurateur. This fits into a larger theme Du Bois focuses on demonstrating the heterogeneity of Black people and their humanity. Describing and demonstrating how there were many different classes of Black people within the Seventh Ward was intended to show this. However, people have also criticized Du Bois' commentary on people in the lower classes, something that can even be seen in his description of the influence of caterers.

“It was at this time that there arose to prominence and

power as remarkable a trade guild as ever ruled in a medi

aeval city. It took complete leadership of the bewildered

group of Negroes, and led them steadily on to a degree of

affluence, culture and respect such as has probably never

been surpassed in the history of the Negro in America.

This was the guild of the caterers, and its masters include

names which have been household words in the city for fifty

years : Bogle, Augustin, Prosser, Dorsey, Jones and Minton. “

In highlighting the leadership of the caterers, Du Bois characterizes the rest of population as “bewildered.” This kind of language is repeated throughout and is one of the things that makes this work controversial.

Another interesting note about this location is that it is now a construction site. Besides being a caterer, Minton was also an important abolitionist who used his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was considered for the historic landmark status in 2019 and recommended by the Committee on Historic Designation, however, it was then rejected by the Historical Commission. In 2021, it was demolished. This raises important questions about how and what we should be preserving. Minton represented multiple significant pieces of history, and his house was one of a few known Underground Railroad sites. Even if its use was going to change – at the time of demolishment it was a gym – should the building and facade remain instead of being demolished? Thinking back to our first stop, we see the same issue, a new building stands in the place of a potentially historic one. As we continue the tour, think about the ways the neighborhood has changed from what it once was, why that change is occurred, and whether/how it should be remembered.