Octavius V. Catto (1839-1871)
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
An early graduate of the Institute for Colored Youth, Catto, who lived here, was an educator, Union army major, and political organizer. In 1871 he was assassinated by rioters while urging Blacks to vote. His death was widely mourned.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Octavius V. Catto was a rising leader of Black Philadelphia in the Civil War and Reconstruction years—an early graduate of the Institute for Colored Youth who became an educator, a military officer, and a tireless organizer for equal rights. On election day in 1871, as he urged Black citizens to exercise their newly won right to vote, he was assassinated by rioters. His death was mourned across the city as the loss of a brilliant champion of equality.
Why it matters
Catto's life and murder laid bare the violent resistance that met Black voting rights after emancipation, making him an early martyr in the long struggle for civil rights in America.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Bridgette Mayer0.4 mi away · 709 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Hill-Physick House0.4 mi away · 321 South 4th Street
- Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial0.5 mi away
- Powel House0.5 mi away · 244 South 3rd Street
- Congress Hall0.5 mi away · Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Hall0.5 mi away · 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Italian market0.3 mi away · Christian Street
- Liberty Bell0.6 mi away · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Second Bank of the United States0.6 mi away · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Carpenters' Hall0.6 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- President's House0.6 mi away
- First Bank of the United States0.6 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Food & drink
- Talula's Garden0.4 mi away · 210 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Talula's Daily0.4 mi away · 208 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Fat Salmon0.4 mi away · 719 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Cafe Walnut0.4 mi away · 703 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Maya's Pizza & Grill0.4 mi away · 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Thank You Thank You Coffee Roasters0.5 mi away · 700 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Morris House Hotel0.4 mi away · 225 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Alexander Inn0.4 mi away · 301 301 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Philadelphia, PA
- AKA Washington Square0.5 mi away · 834 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fairfield Inn & Suites0.5 mi away · 261 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City0.6 mi away · 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Holiday Inn Express0.6 mi away · 1305-11 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Octavius V. Catto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1995
In 1896 and 1897 the young scholar W.E.B. Du Bois lived in a Philadelphia settlement house while conducting the door-to-door research for "The Philadelphia Negro," published in 1899. That study was one of the first rigorous sociological portraits of an African American community in the United States. Du Bois went on to help found the NAACP and to become one of the most influential Black intellectuals and activists in American history.
Robert Mara Adger (1837-1910)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1993
Robert Mara Adger came of age in a Philadelphia that was home to one of the nation's largest free Black communities, active in the antislavery and self-help movements before and after the Civil War. A businessman who helped lead a pioneering Black building-and-loan association, he was also a passionate bibliophile who gathered a major collection of rare books and pamphlets on Black life and the fight against slavery. He helped found an Afro-American historical society to preserve that record for future generations.
Henry L. Phillips (1847-1935)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1993
Henry L. Phillips traveled a remarkable spiritual path—baptized Catholic, raised Moravian, and ultimately ordained an Episcopal priest—before turning the Church of the Crucifixion into far more than a house of worship. Under his leadership it became a Black cultural center renowned for its social outreach in Philadelphia. He also helped found the American Negro Historical Society, an early effort to document and preserve African American history.
Institute for Colored Youth
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1991
Beginning as a farm school, this institution grew in 1852 into one of the first schools in the country to train Black students in skilled trades and teaching. Under the leadership of Fanny Jackson Coppin, principal from 1869 to 1902, it earned national distinction for the rigor of its education. Later relocated, it survives today as Cheyney University, among the oldest historically Black colleges in America.