We invite you to watch these highlights of the Witness Stones Project at Robert Morris School in South Bound Brook and the Abraham Staats House on February 29th, 2024, including the laying of the Witness Stone for Henry “Harry” Staats.
A Dark Time in America: Former History Teacher Doesn’t Want to White Wash Slavery
By Steve Bigham in the Republican-American on February 15, 2024
WOODBURY – The founder of a statewide effort to restore the history and humanity of enslaved individuals in Connecticut was in town Thursday as part of the local public library’s three-part series in recognition of Black History Month.
Dennis Culliton, a former eighth-grade history teacher, created the Witness Stone Project to recognize individuals who were enslaved here and should be remembered that way. In 1774, the height of slavery in New England, Woodbury was home to 89 slaves among its 5,224 residents, the most of any town in Litchfield county.
As part of the project, “witness stones,” about the size of half a brick, have been created to honor slaves long forgotten, oftentimes the result of research done by Connecticut school children.
“On my way here, I passed the Glebe House and I thought that could one day be a place where a Witness Stone can go in the future,” Culliton said.
He later was told by a Woodbury resident that the historic home was in fact a home to slaves at one time.
Culliton said slavery may have been more lenient in the North, but it was still commonplace in New England and remained so until it officially ended in 1848.
“Because I grew up in New England, I was always told that slavery was in the South, racism was in the South, segregation was in the South and the South needed to fix it. But that was all here, too,” Culliton said. “This project is about the fact that the issues we have in this country are not someone else’s problem. They’re for us all to figure out.”
The witness stones, Culliton said, are similar to schockelsteins, or stumbling stones, found throughout Europe in honor of Jewish Holocaust victims.
“We’re not here to revictimize enslaved people. We’re here to tell their stories,” he said.
He said the goal of the project is to create a foundation to discuss what he called “hard history,” and a path toward truth and reconciliation.
Culliton pointed to places such as Germany and South Africa, where they’ve done the truth part about their hard histories, he said.
“In our country, we’re really struggling with that, so much so that people are making state laws and changing curriculum so the truth of the past isn’t told,” he said. “If we want to ever reconcile in this country and make things better, we’ve got to tell the truth. And it’s not them and us. It’s us and us. We all need to be part of the storytelling.”
Thursday’s event was sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Woodbury.
First Public Lecture in Longmeadow
The Witness Stones Project is excited to announce an expanded collaboration in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The nonprofit, educational initiative, whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, will be working with the First Church of Christ, Longmeadow Public Schools, and the Longmeadow Historical Society to uncover and share the local history of slavery.
The first public event will be a lecture at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. The lecture, Introducing the Witness Stone Project: Remembering the History and Honoring the Humanity of Enslaved Individuals from Longmeadow, will be hosted by the First
Church of Christ in Longmeadow at 763 Longmeadow Street. The lecture is free and no pre-registration is required, but free will donations will be gratefully received.
The Witness Stones Project provides local archival research, professional teacher development, a classroom curriculum, and public programming to help students and their communities discover and chronicle the local history of slavery. The final component of the work in each community is the placement of Witness Stone MemorialsTM that honor enslaved individuals where they lived, worked, or worshiped. These stones serve as meaningful reminders of the lives and contributions of those who often went unrecognized in history. www.WitnessStonesProject.org
The First Church of Christ in Longmeadow has a rich history of social commitment dating back to 1716. It is a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC). The mission of the UCC is: “United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all.” www.firstchurchlongmeadow.org
Longmeadow Public Schools includes three elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school. Their mission is to ensure that all students excel in learning, succeed in life, and enrich their community. www.longmeadow.k12.ma.us
The Longmeadow Historical Society’s mission is to preserve the town’s history and inspire public awareness of the people, places, and events that have contributed to Longmeadow’s history. www.longmeadowhistoricalsociety.org
