Witness Stones Project, Inc.

Restoring History & Honoring Humanity

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Leadership Transition

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After many years of dedicated service, our Co-Founder and Executive Director, Dennis Culliton, has decided to step down from his current role. Dennis founded the Project as a teacher at Elisabeth C. Adams Middle School in Guilford, Connecticut. Over seven years, he has worked with more than 100 schools, churches, museums, and civic organizations across six states. Thousands of middle and high school students and their communities have participated. The curriculum and public programming have won praise from descendants, students, teachers, and community leaders. We are immensely grateful for Dennis’s vision and leadership, which have shaped the organization since its inception. His commitment and passion have guided our mission to honor the contributions of enslaved people and educate communities across the region.

While Dennis steps back from his executive role, we are thrilled to announce that he will continue with us as Director of Education and Special Projects. In this new capacity, Dennis will focus on deepening our educational initiatives and expanding the reach of our programming.

As we transition, we are excited to welcome Patricia Wilson Pheanious as our new Executive Director. Pat is a seasoned public servant, attorney, and advocate for social justice. She has served as a Connecticut state representative, where she was a champion for equitable policies, and as a Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Her work has consistently focused on addressing systemic inequalities and advocating for marginalized communities.

Pat holds degrees in law and social work, and her extensive experience in leadership roles reflects her deep commitment to education, justice, and community empowerment. A descendant of people once enslaved in Connecticut, Pat’s personal history fuels her passion for uncovering and honoring the stories of those who have been forgotten by history. Her leadership, integrity, and dedication to justice make her a fitting and visionary Executive Director for the Witness Stones Project.

Please join us in expressing our heartfelt thanks to Dennis and a warm welcome to Pat as we continue to advance our work together.

 

Juneteenth Joyfully Celebrated at FloGris Museum with Jazz & Poetry

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Celebrating Juneteenth at the Florence Griswold Museum on June 22 were, from left to right, poets Marilyn Nelson, Antoinette Brim-Bell, Kate Rushin, and Rhonda Ward, along with musicians James Austin Jr, Nat Reeves, Abraham Burton, and Michael Ode. All photos by Witness Stones Old Lyme.

 

In LymeLine.com on June 16, 2024

OLD LYME—On Saturday, June 22, Witness Stones Old Lyme presented a celebratory event filled with jazz and poetry on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. This event honored Juneteenth, a federal holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, and offered a vibrant fusion of music and spoken word.

Over 150 attendees experienced a powerful, moving, and joyful afternoon enriched by a harmonious blend of jazz and poetry.

Attendees at the Witness Stones Old Lyme event listen intently to the poets speaking at the Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum

Acclaimed Connecticut poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell offered a range of work that mixed humor with poignant recollections and included tributes in verse to those once enslaved in historic Lyme. The poets’ words memorably captured forgotten voices and vividly brought to life the experience of bondage in the Lyme-Old Lyme community.

The Nat Reeves Quartet performs at the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

The celebration showcased the Nat Reeves Quartet, with Nat Reeves on bass joined by saxophonist Abraham Burton, pianist James Austin, Jr., and percussionist Michael Ode. Both Nat Reeves—a renowned figure in the jazz world for over 40 years—and Abraham Burton have contributed significantly to the genre as performers and educators, who train and inspire new generations of jazz musicians.

The Nat Reeves Quartet was one of the highlights of the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

The quartet’s stirring presentation combined with the poets’ voices offered attendees a reflective and uplifting experience honoring the legacy and cultural contributions of African Americans.

The Juneteenth celebration, held on a former site of enslavement, highlighted the importance of remembering and honoring the past and served as a reminder of the continuing struggle for freedom and equality.

More than 150 people turned out for the Witness Stones Old Lyme Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry at the FloGris Museum.

HHS to Unveil Memorial Markers During New Paltz Juneteenth Jubilee

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Historic Huguenot Street

On ILoveNY.com on June 18, 2024

New Paltz, NY  – As part of the organization’s commitment to telling the stories of the marginalized inhabitants of Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), the museum has partnered with the Witness Stones Project, Inc. (WSP), based in Connecticut. Similar to the German Stolpersteine Project that commemorates victims of the Nazis, the WSP works to restore the history of enslaved individuals who helped build this country, and honor their humanity.

HHS has commissioned two commemorative markers, memorializing Susanna and Anthony, the first two individuals on record to have been enslaved by a New Paltz Patentee. Records indicate that Susanna and Anthony were purchased by Louis DuBois at public auction in Esopus around 1673/74, approximately 350 years ago. Not long after their enslavement by DuBois, the pair self-emancipated, presumably returning to the estate of their former enslaver, Colonel Lewis Morris.

A dispute over the ownership of Susanna and Anthony resulted in lengthy legal proceedings (1675-1680), which ultimately gave Col. Morris legal ownership.

The production of these memorial markers has been funded by Andreas du Bois, a direct descendant of Louis du Bois’ brother. Andreas’ generous contribution was inspired by this project and the organization’s work to expose the history of enslavement in the Hudson Valley.

In partnership with the Ulster County BOCES Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning at Port Ewen, HHS and WSP have been engaging high school students in in-class workshops and on-site tours and activities to study the history of slavery in New Paltz, and examine primary documents related to Susanna and Anthony’s story to gain insight and inspiration for poetry and art being developed as a part of this program.

A selection of the students’ work and a public unveiling of the markers will be presented at this year’s New Paltz Juneteenth Jubilee, hosted by the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center (MWLC) at Historic Huguenot Street, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. The Juneteenth Jubilee is a free community event. Over the next week, a full schedule of presentations and programming for this event will be made available on both HHS and MWLC’s websites.

It is a goal of HHS to continue this important work. As archival records indicate that every Patentee family would go on the become enslavers, over the next several years, the organization intends to memorialize many more individuals who were enslaved here and develop relevant programming that supports community efforts to reconcile with this difficult and complex past.

For more information on Susanna and Anthony’s story, you may access a recording of the virtual program, “Agency and Ownership: The Story of Anthony and Susanna,” via HHS’s Virtual Programming webpage, which was presented by HHS’s Tours & Interpretation Manager, Eddie Moran, on Thursday, May 30, 2024: https://www.huguenotstreet.org/virtual-programming

About Historic Huguenot Street
A National Historic Landmark District, Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to preserving a pre-Revolutionary Hudson Valley settlement and engaging diverse audiences in the exploration of America’s multicultural past, in order to understand the historical forces that have shaped America. As an educational institution founded by the town’s French-speaking Protestant descendants and chartered by the University of the State of New York Department of Education, HHS explores the lives of the early European colonists, honors the region’s Indigenous people, and acknowledges the enslaved and disenfranchised peoples who built this place. Today, HHS is recognized as an innovative museum and community gathering place, providing visitors with an inclusive presentation of our shared past. For more information visit www.huguenotstreet.org.

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