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Arts & Culture

History Detectives: Chandler Tintype; Harlem Heirs; Ince Ledger

This one of a kind Civil War photograph is at the center of a hot debate over whether black men fought for the Confederate Army. Was Silas Chandler, the black man pictured here in a Confederate uniform, slave or free? What was the relationship between these two men?
Courtesy of Chandler Battaile
This one of a kind Civil War photograph is at the center of a hot debate over whether black men fought for the Confederate Army. Was Silas Chandler, the black man pictured here in a Confederate uniform, slave or free? What was the relationship between these two men?

Airs Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

America's top gumshoes are back to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary.

Your Investigation

If you need more help with your own investigations, visit Detective Techniques, with guides on how to research a WWII military record, rock and mineral identification, and more information on art and photo evaluation. You can also find a step-by-step guide to genealogy, researching buildings, document evaluation and much more.

Wesley Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer; Gwendolyn Wright, historian and professor of architecture, Columbia University; Elyse Luray, independent appraiser and expert in art history; Dr. Eduardo Pagán, professor of history and American studies at Arizona State University; and Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for African Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, leave no stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the stories behind local folklore, prominent figures and family legends.

"Chandler Tintype" - For the first time HISTORY DETECTIVES teams up with ANTIQUES ROADSHOW to trace the story behind two people in a fascinating photograph. The photo shows two men, one black and the other white, both dressed in Confederate uniforms.

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HISTORY DETECTIVES host Wes Cowan first encountered this Civil War tintype in his role as an ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraiser. The ANTIQUES ROADSHOW episode unleashed a flood of responses, from viewers, bloggers and historians. Now the owner of this tintype and his friend, both direct descendants of the two men in the photograph, ask Wes Cowan to track down the rest of the story.

Was the African American dressed in a Confederate uniform a slave or free? HISTORY DETECTIVES investigates the story behind this one of a kind photograph.

"Harlem Heirs" - Twenty-five years ago, a Roselle Park, NJ man bought an 1892 stock certificate because he suspected it was a fraud. The certificate bears the name Harlem Associated Heirs Title Company and includes a detailed map of Harlem. The elaborate illustrations make our contributor suspicious. The more ornate stock certificates he’s seen in the past have been scams.

Furthermore, he’s researched and cannot find anything about a Harlem Associated Heirs Title Company. He turns the case over to the capable hands of HISTORY DETECTIVES host Gwendolyn Wright. Gwen discovers this certificate serves as an extravagant bookmark in an often forgotten chapter of Harlem's history.

"Ince Ledger" - Who were "Two Lance and Wife" and "Luke Big Turnip and Wife?" And why did the New York Motion Picture Company pay them between $7.50 and $9.50 a week?

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Two Castaic, Calif. teens found a 1915 ledger in their great grandfather's attic after he passed away. They found the names of more than thirty American Indians listed in this ledger. The young ladies turn to HISTORY DETECTIVES host Eduardo Pagán to find out more about these Native Americans. How did they earn their pay? And were they treated fairly?

HISTORY DETECTIVES is on Facebook, and you can follow @histdetectives on Twitter.

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Watch the full episode. See more History Detectives.

Watch the full episode. See more History Detectives.

Our five intrepid detectives are back with new investigations and fascinating stories in season nine of the "History Detectives."