PEOPLE
Mightier than the Sword More than a century ago, the writings of a New Lexington native freed a nation Written by Christopher Uihlein Photographed by Ross Brinkerhoff ABOVE: Carma Jean Rausch and Barbara Mooney have been working to promote the memory of local hero Januarius MacGahan for 33 years.
10
| WINTER 2012
Januarius Aloysius MacGahan seemed the least likely person to free a war-torn nation from the grips of the world’s largest empire. But for the people of New Lexington, MacGahan’s life fostered a legacy worth celebrating and honoring. MacGahan was born in June of 1844 to immigrant farmers in what was then known as Pigeon Roost Ridge by local townspeople. His father died when he was 6 years old, leaving him to help his mother run the farm. From an early age he aspired to write. Before his death
in 1878, his writing would be so authoritative as to change the map of the world, influencing governments and ultimately earning him the title “The Liberator of Bulgaria.” An adept student, MacGahan is said to have read every book in his neighborhood by the age of 18. It was at this time that he applied to be a district schoolmaster, according to Carma Jean Rausch, chair of the American-Bulgarian Foundation. Rausch, who happened upon the 1978 centennial festival in honor of his death, instantly