Lydia Hamilton Smith and the World of Entrepreneurial Black Women in the Nation’s Capital
Lydia Hamilton Smith lived a remarkable life as the confidante of Thaddeus Stevens, but also as an accomplished woman in the years following his death. While many know Smith in relation to Stevens, she carefully crafted a life shaped by hard work, dignity, and egalitarian values. An astute businesswoman and an important figure in social circles in both Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. this talk will explore how Lydia Hamilton Smith figured among the circles of Black entrepreneurs in the nation’s capital.
Dr. Tamika Nunley is the Research Professor of History at Duke University. Along with articles, essays, and reviews, she is the author of At the Threshold of Liberty: Women, Slavery, and Shifting Identities in Washington, D.C. which received the Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award, the Pauli Murray Book Prize, and the Mary Kelley Book Prize. Her article, “Thrice Condemned’: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Practice of Leniency in Antebellum Courts,” received the Letitia Woods Brown prize for best article in African American Women’s History and the Anne Braden Prize for best article in Southern Women’s History. Nunley recently released her new book, The Demands of Justice: Enslaved Women, Capital Crime and Clemency in Early Virginia with the University of North Carolina Press. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, NewsOne, Smithsonian Magazine, Ms. Magazine, and Fortune Magazine. In 2023, the Librarian of Congress named her the Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American history.
Information & Registration
The lecture, “Lydia Hamilton Smith and the World of Entrepreneurial Black Women in the Nation’s Capital,” will take place on Thursday, February 5, 2026 at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster. A reception will precede the lecture at 5pm, followed by the main event at 5:30pm. The lecture will be available via livestream, but will not be available publicly after the event concludes.
This event is free and open to the public, but requires registration to guarantee a seat. Select your registration option below, or call 717.392.4633 to register over the phone. An email is required to receive the link to the livestream on Zoom.
Online/Virtual Event In-Person Event Lecture Reception
