Witness Stones Project Inc.

Restore History, Educate, and Honor Humanity

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Social Studies ConneCTion

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Social studies leaders Steve Armstrong and Tony Roy connect with educators and advocates from across the state on their Social Studies ConneCTion podcast. Witness Stones Project founder and Executive Director joined them for a fascinating discussion on how school districts across Connecticut embark on a journey into our state’s dark past. Dennis’s work in the Witness Stones Project not only commemorates the lives of those who endured enslavement but works to honor those of the past and help students and educators appreciate localized history coming to life. We invite you to listen to the episode here.

Thank You for Support of Church Program

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Letter from the Reverend Jan Gregory-Charpentier and Tony Jones to the Westerly Sun on March 13, 2023

On behalf of the entire Kingston Congregational Church and our Kingston Witness Stones Project task force, we want to offer a tremendous “thank you” for all of the efforts in helping to promote our Witness to History event on Saturday, March 4. It was a smashing success with broad community attendance!

Thank you all for the support of Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara’s timely presentation. Many attendees expressed that they were grateful they came.

The writers are senior pastor and communications director, respectively, of Kingston Congregational Church.

St. Matthews Church Brings Witness Stones Project to Wilton, Sharing Stories of CT’s Enslaved People

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It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten. – Akan proverb

Through a collaboration of local faith communities, area youth in grades 6-9 will have the opportunity to explore and chronicle the history of slavery in Connecticut.  In a series of workshops, participants will research historical documents and create a narrative through art, story, music, video, and poetry about a person who was enslaved in Wilton.

The Witness Stones Project is an educational initiative with a mission to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build local communities. It is not a religious program; it is a secular history curriculum that has been used in public and private schools across Connecticut and beyond.

Julie Hughes, Ph.D., a local historian and Wilton archivist with the Wilton Public Library, recently spoke at a forum at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in which she shared about the deep significance of slavery in our area. She told numerous stories about individuals who are known to have worked, lived, and worshipped in Wilton, Norwalk, Redding, New Canaan, and beyond.

“It’s hard to imagine our quaint little towns having a past with enslaved people, working and living here. I try to imagine what life was like for these individuals,” Nathan Pawelek, who oversees children and youth faith formation at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westport, said.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 1 from 6-8 p.m. and continuing for two more sessions on March 8 and March 15, youth will have the opportunity to be guided by project leaders in learning the history of slavery locally and regionally while exploring five themes that were instrumental in establishing slavery in Connecticut. Using primary documents from Dr. Hughes’ research, participants will create stories to honor the enslaved. The program will culminate with a community ceremony in late Spring 2023.  During the ceremony, participants will share their creative expressions and a “Witness Stone” will be installed to permanently honor the enslaved of our community.

The first session on March 1 is open to the public, including parents and any other adult who is interested in learning about the mission of The Witness Stones Project, Inc. The following two sessions are for the participating teens.

Participation is free and registration is required.  All sessions will be held at the WEPCO complex located at 48 New Canaan Rd. in Wilton.

To register and learn more, visit the Witness Stones Project Wilton website or email Sharon Ely Pearson.

Witness Stones Project Announces New Partnership

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The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit educational initiative whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new partnership with the Junior League of Central Westchester. The nonprofit educational women’s volunteer organization based in Scarsdale, New York, will be using the Project’s research, curriculum, and landscape markers to help uncover, share, and memorialize the history of the enslaved individuals who lived at the League’s eighteenth-century museum and headquarters, the Wayside Cottage.

The Wayside Cottage was gifted to the Village of Scarsdale by Emily Butler in 1919. In 1953, the League was chosen as the steward of the property. For decades, the League has hosted education programming for Scarsdale students and the general community at the Cottage. The League’s leadership and members are now working toward telling a more complete history of the house that includes the enslavement during the 18th century of a woman named Rose and her children. Witness Stones Project Advisor Teresa Vega, an historian and genealogist, will be leading the efforts to recover and document the history of Rose and her descendants.

League President Danielle Marino says that the organization is “eager to begin its work with the Witness Stones Project.” She notes that, “Miss Butler donated the cottage for ‘the use of educational and historical purpose, for fostering a public and democratic spirit in the community and providing a center for civic welfare.’ Accurately sharing Rose’s story allows us to more deeply fulfill that mission.”

Those interested in learning more about the Junior League and their work with the Witness Stones Project are invited to contact the League’s Alison Park at WaysideTours@JLCentralWestchester.org.

The Junior League of Central Westchester: The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Headquartered at historic Wayside Cottage, the JLCW has served the communities of Eastchester, Greenburgh, Scarsdale, White Plains and beyond for 75 years. Our approximately 200 active and sustaining members are accomplished collaborators who identify community needs and develop effective and responsive programs to serve those needs.

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund Supports New Witness Stones Project Partnership

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The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new affiliation with James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut.

This new collaboration is funding by a generous gift from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund in Hamden, Connecticut. The Director’s Discretionary Grant from Executive Director R. David Addams will allow Hillhouse students to discover and chronicle the local history of slavery in New Haven.

James Hillhouse High School’s mission to graduate students prepared for success in a world of increasing diversity, technological change and global challenges.

The New Haven Museum stimulates inquiry, increases understanding and fosters appreciation of greater New Haven’s history and heritage.

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund’s mission is to achieve equity in education by working with those affected and inspiring all to end racism and poverty.

 

 

Witness Stones Project Announces New Partnership

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The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new affiliation with South Bound Brook, New Jersey, Public Schools and the Abraham Staats House. The school and museum will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their teaching of the local history of slavery.

South Bound Brooks Public Schools’s students develop a spirit of belonging and a desire for excellence as a result of collaboration with teachers, staff, parents, and community members. This enables the students to become exemplary citizens as they develop the ability to excel in their chosen and future endeavors.

The Abraham Staats House was built c. 1740 near the banks of the Raritan River. The property is associated with significant people and events during the American Revolution. It is also associated with the growth of the community in the early 19th century, when the Delaware & Raritan Canal was constructed between the house and the river. The house remained a private home until it was acquired by the Borough in 1999. It was placed on the New Jersey and National Registers in 2002. The Friends of the Abraham Staats House support the ongoing care and restoration of the house and its grounds, and research and interpret the history of the property and its people. The goal is to foster an understanding of this history and its relationship to the history of South Bound Brook, surrounding communities, the State of New Jersey and our Country. To promote this understanding, the Friends develop and present public and educational programs, exhibits, publications and presentations in various media.

Witness Stones Project Announces New Partnership in Plainfield

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The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new affiliation with Plainfield Central Middle School. The school will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their teaching of the local history of slavery.

Plainfield Central Middle School’s mission is to inspire life-long learning in a supportive and creative environment. The school promotes excellence in academics and social endeavors, fosters open communication and shared responsibility, and encourages the full potential of each unique child to meet the challenges of the future.

Witness Stones Project Announces New Partnership in Manchester

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The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new affiliation with Manchester High School. The school will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their teaching of the local history of slavery.

Manchester High School is a school community committed to:

  • Living their core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, kindness and perseverance
  • Ensuring a high quality education for all
  • Continuously improving practices to maximize learning for all
  • Fostering positive partnerships among students, parents, families, school personnel and the community
  • Maintaining a safe and inclusive school where equity is the norm and excellence is the goal

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