From my friend, Ferenc Karpule in Budapest, Hungary: "The Picture in Budapest was taken in front of a tram stop in one of the downtown areas. I wrote the address based on Craig von Buseck's idea." (Harry T. Burleigh's Grandfather, Hamilton Waters, was the lamplighter in our shared hometown of Erie, PA). From the book Nobody Knows: The Harry T. Burleigh Story. #HarryTBurleigh #NobodyKnows #NobodyKnowsbook #NobodyKnowsTheHarryTBurleighStory #HamiltonWaters #TheSpirituals #TheNe

Craig von Buseck speaks with Sean Latterty of WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, about the impact of Harry T. Burleigh on American music. Watch now. Order your copy of Nobody Knows: The Harry T. Burleigh Story #HarryTBurleigh #NobodyKnowsbook #NobodyKnowsTheHarryTBurleighStory #TheSpirituals #TheNegroSpirituals #NobodyKnows #AmericanMusic #Music #AfricanAmerican #AfricanAmericanSpirituals #WJET #WJETTV #CraigvonBuseck #DrCraigvonBuseck #SeanLatterty

I finished reading "Nobody Knows... about Harry T. Burleigh," and you brought Harry so much back to life through your wonderful book, that now I'm missing him. I kid you not! Likewise, I more fully understand why your son, David, once asked you, "Dad, how long is Harry Burleigh going to live with us?" ... while you are working on this book to share this somewhat obscure man's life story. Thanks to how interesting, well-written, organized, and easy to follow the book was, I of

Chapter 1: The Gospel Train 1891—ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA The Lakeshore Limited was only partially filled with passengers as the short, handsome black man climbed aboard and shued down the aisle, searching for a seat next to a north-facing window so that he could watch his beloved Lake Erie as the train skirted the hills of northern Pennsylvania. As Harry Thacker Burleigh stowed his one small suitcase above the seat, the large metal beast shuddered and lurched forward from the wo

On June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war was over and the slaves were now free. General Granger read to the gathered crowd General Order Number 3: “…in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves…” Soon June 19th was celebrated as the day when fr

Praise is one of the most powerful weapons available to the believer – yet it is often misunderstood or completely ignored as a path to victory in spiritual battle. The Apostle Paul writes: …be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. (Eph. 5:18b-19, NLT) It was the spiritual song – or Negro Spiritual – that gave hope to American slaves as they cried out to God, asking him to send