There Are Saints, There Are Sinners, And There Are Beechers
How the Beecher family defined 19th century America.
Published: Mar 20, 2013
Slideshow
Debby Applegate
Photo:Chion Wolf
Joan Henrick
Photo:Chion Wolf
Susan Campbell and Joan Henrick
Photo:Chion Wolf
Susan Campbell
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Betsy Kaplan
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Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Susan Campbell
Photo:Chion Wolf
Joan Henrick
Photo:Chion Wolf
Susan Campbell
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Debby Applegate
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Patrick Skahill
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Jules Lefevere
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Will Baker
Photo:Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Chion Wolf
Audio Playlist
There Are Saints, There Are Sinners, And There Are Beechers
You can't make this stuff up. The Beecher family was at the forefront of every important reform movement of the late 19th century. Abolition. Education. Temperance. Women's suffrage.
Underlying that was a streak of untameable craziness, especially as incarnated by Henry Ward Beecher. Beecher was a pastor and a rock star orator. He was also, one would have to conclude, a little bit out of control on the sexual front.
But it's so much more than that. For all their solid Christian good works, the Beechers also embraced enthusiastically all the nuttiness of the later 19th century -- from seances to bizarre health treatments.
Today we've done something we're pretty sure is unprecvedented. We have three Beecher biographers -- two of them Pulitzer Prize winners -- assembled before a live audience in a 19th century library in New Haven.
You can join the conversation. E-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
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E-mail from Lisa
Did you know that Beecher made his way to the Plymouth Church because of another great CT man - Henry C. Bowen? Check out Roseland Cottage in Woodstock if you want to know more.