Witness Stones Project Inc.

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Public History in Suffield

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By Bill Sullivan in the Suffield Observer on May 1, 2022

The Sibbil Dwight Kent Chapter (Suffield and Windsor Locks) of The Daughters of The American Revolution (DAR) and the Suffield Historical Society will partner to install a Witness Stone Memorial for Titus Kent. An installation ceremony will be held in front of the Sidney Kent Legare Library (Suffield Academy) on High Street at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. Bill Sullivan’s American Studies class at Suffield Academy will help facilitate the program, and you can email Bill Sullivan with any questions: bsullivan@suffieldacademy.org. Continue reading.

Friday Truehart, Once Enslaved in Hopewell, Commemorated in Witness Stone Project Ceremony

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Courtesy of MercerMe.com
By Ambreen Ali in MercerMe.com on April 30, 2022

Timberlane Middle School became the first in the state to partake in a project that culminated on Thursday with the placement of a permanent brass stone in Hopewell Boro to honor the life of an enslaved individual.

Through the Witness Stones Project, eighth grade students have learned about the life of Friday Truehart, a thirteen-year-old boy who came to Hopewell Valley as the slave of Rev. Oliver Hart. Truehart’s life was documented in the book If These Stones Could Talk by his descendant Beverly Mills and fellow historian Elaine Buck. Continue reading.

Witness Stones Project Comes to New Jersey to Honor, Remember Enslaved Teen

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Thursday, April 28, 2022 – Witness Stones Project installation ceremony at the Old School Baptist Church on Broad Street, honoring Friday Truehart, who was enslaved in Hopewell at the age of 13 by Rev. Oliver Hart.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

 

By Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on April 28, 2022

More than 240 years ago, in Charleston, South Carolina, a 13-year-old African American boy named Friday Trueheart was separated from his mother Dinah, when their enslaver, the Rev. Oliver Hart, came north to New Jersey and took the young teen with him.

Oliver would become the new pastor at the Old School Baptist Church, which still stands on West Broad Street in Hopewell.

On Thursday, a Witness Stone — a permanent brass marker to memorialize an enslaved individual — was unveiled on the ground in front of the church by Truehart’s direct descendant and family matriarch Patricia True Payne. Continue reading.

Students from Timberlane Middle School Honor Friday Truehart

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April 28, 2022

Students from Timberlane Middle School gathered today to honor Friday Truehart. This is the capstone of work they have been doing this spring with the Witness Stones Project. The have shared their work on their website. We invite you to visit to learn more.

WPKN Spotlight on Arts & Culture

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Poetry Reading: Long-Silenced Voices

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Poetry Reading: Long-Silenced Voices

Co-sponsored with Ridgefield Community Partners

April 23, 2022 · 2 – 4 p.m.
The Meetinghouse, Ridgefield, Connecticut

Inspired by the Witness Stones Old Lyme Project, which honors those once enslaved in the community by researching their histories and placing memorial plaques at the site of their servitude, four esteemed poets give voice to those long denied their humanity.

Join us in the historic Meetinghouse as Marilyn Nelson, Antoinette Brim-Bell, Kate Rushin, and Rhonda Ward share powerful poems depicting the lives of enslaved men, women, and children, reimagined from the research of historian Carolyn Wakeman.

The reading will be held at the Meetinghouse, 605 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877.

The event will also be shared via Zoom. Register here or for Zoom access here.

Witness Stones Project Comes to Ridgefield

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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 the East Ridge Middle School, the Ridgefield Historical Society, and Scotts Ridge Middle School. The Ridgefield community will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their teaching of the history of slavery in colonial Connecticut.

Students will examine primary source documents, such property, church, and vital records; wills and probate inventories; and census data, in order to understand the reality of slavery and to restore the memory of those individuals who were enslaved. They will learn how to document and describe the dehumanization and paternalism of slavery; the economic and legal framework that supported slavery; and, the agency, resistance, and contributions of the enslaved to our local and national history. Finally, these students will be inviting their communities to witness as they install memorial stones for individuals who were enslaved in their town.

The  goal at the East Ridge Middle School is to support the growth and development of the whole child in reaching their full potential.

The Historical Society’s purpose is to preserve, interpret, and foster public knowledge of Ridgefield’s historical, cultural, and architectural heritage.

Scotts Ridge Middle School’s mission is to provide engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences so all students can pursue their interests and prepare for life, learning, and work as global citizens.

Witness Stones Project Announces New Partnership with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wilton

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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 St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. The congregation in Wilton, Connecticut, will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their understanding of the history of slavery in colonial Connecticut.