News

Witness Stone to Be Installed during Juneteenth

WSP · Jun 2, 2021 ·

By Bill Sullivan in the Suffield Observer on June 1, 2021

The Suffield Historical Society’s (SHS) online class will ceremoniously install a Witness Stone memorial for Tamer (1770-1829) on June 19 at 10:00 a.m. In collaboration with its community partner, ABAR Suffield, the SHS class will gather speakers and musicians on the town’s gazebo on the north green and be a component of Suffield’s first Juneteenth program. Featured guests include descendants of Venture Smith, who was Tamer’s father-in-law. The SHS Facebook page will provide updated details about the installation ceremony. Continue reading.

Foote School Students Recover the Life of Pink Primus

WSP · Jun 2, 2021 ·

Students from the Foote School gathered at the Pardee-Morris House on June 2, 2021, to remember the life of Pink Primus. Students read original poetry and displayed the infographics they created to share the life of Pink with their community.

Marshall Miles Interviews Caleb May and Rhonan Mokriski about “Coloring Our Past”

WSP · Jun 1, 2021 ·

“This movie has forced us to confront history that challenges our perception of who we are and how we became a country. Looking at the contributions local families of color like the Mars and the Cesars have had on our communities has really opened our eyes. In turn, our aim is to use our work to help form a more complete and inclusive history that highlights the contributions of all Americans. This project is not about simply uncovering the history of one Black family in America, it is also about completing the inaccurate and incomplete history of our diverse American Family.” -Nicholas Gray, Producer

Listen to the interview here.

Remembering the Enslaved in Guilford

WSP · Jun 1, 2021 ·

Adams Middle School 8th grade students researched and wrote essays to restore history and to honor the humanity and contributions of three enslaved individuals, Shem, Tombo, and Peter Gardner, who helped build our community. Witness stones in their names were installed on Ledge Hill Road in North Guilford.

The students, members of the Witness Stones Project, state and local representatives, and the greater community in a ceremony on June 1st. Student essays were read by Beth Payne, descendent of the Scranton Family who held Peter Gardner in captivity, Pat Wilson, 5th great niece of Tombo, and Rockley Miller, descendent of the Chittenden Family who held Shem in captivity.

Following the remarks, Witness Stones bearing the names of each enslaved individual were installed in the cemetery in North Guilford.

Witness Stones Arrive in Old Lyme, Project Will Mark Local Slave Narratives

WSP · Jun 1, 2021 ·

By Cate Hewitt in the Connecticut Examiner on June 1, 2021

OLD LYME — Up and down Lyme Street, cement and bronze markers arrived today showing where enslaved people once lived in the town of Old Lyme.

The markers are part of the Witness Stones Project, which “seeks to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities” through research, education and civic engagement. The project grew out of research on slavery in Connecticut by Dennis Culliton, a local historian and teacher in Guilford, where the first stones in the state were laid. Since then, 12 towns including Old Lyme have joined the project. Continue reading.

Director’s Discussion: Coloring Our Past

WSP · May 30, 2021 ·

Salisbury School student Caleb May leads a discussion about the film Coloring Our Past with Cesar family descendants and friends.

Greenwich Historical Society Hosts Witness Stones Project

WSP · May 27, 2021 ·

On May 27, 2021, the Greenwich Historical Society welcomed students from Greenwich Academy and Sacred Heart Greenwich. The students shared their work uncovering the lives of Cull Bush, Patience, Candice , and Hester Mead and laid Witness Stones in their memory.

Local Students Remember a Woman Once Enslaved in Their Community

WSP · May 27, 2021 ·

On Patch.com

Students from Killingly High School will gather to remember and honor the life of Cuffee. Over the course of this school year, these students have used primary source documents, such as account books, wills and probate inventories, church and town records, indenture contracts, manumission deeds, and obituaries, to recover her life story and to understand more about the history of slavery in their community. Continue reading.

Greenwich Honors Legacy of Those Who Were Enslaved

WSP · May 27, 2021 ·

Memorial Stones honoring four enslaved people who lived in Greenwich were placed at the Historical Society during a ceremony on Thursday. (Richard Kaufman photo)

By Richard Kaufman on Patch.com on May 27, 2021

GREENWICH, CT — It was an emotional day on Thursday at the Greenwich Historical Society, as the community came together to honor the legacy of those who were enslaved in Greenwich in the 18th and 19th centuries.

According to research from the Historical Society, approximately 300 enslaved people resided in Greenwich. Thursday’s ceremony honored four individuals — Cull Bush and his partner Patience, and Candice Bush and her daughter Hester Mead — who all lived and worked for David Bush and family at the Bush-Holley House. Altogether, about 15 enslaved people worked at the house. Continue reading.

Coloring Our Past Film

WSP · May 26, 2021 ·

Among several class projects, this film is one of three documentaries students from Salisbury School’s Searching for Slavery class have created over the course of the year to carry out their mission of educating the public about this important history, rewriting the stories that have been recorded incorrectly, and uncovering lives that have been ignored or buried.

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