Witness Stones Installation Ceremony
The Witness Stones Dedication in Essex, Connecticut
They also honored Sawney Freeman, a Black musician who, after gaining his freedom, moved to Essex, where he lived with his family. During the ceremony, a quartet (three strings and a flute) performed 13 pieces composed by Freeman. The sheet music had been discovered in an archive at Trinity College by members of the coalition. St. John’s Episcopal Church in Essex invited their musical director, Anthony Pandolfe, to adapt the music for the quartet, who played selected pieces throughout the ceremony. Some of the titles included: Liberty March, Solemnity, Adam’s March, The Rays of Liberty, Washington’s Farewell, Pleasures of Solitude, Mount Vernon, and The Union of All Parties.
During the program, Stacie Paudelli, a church member, presented research about Sawney Freeman. Among her findings were:
- Details about his enslavement and emancipation in Lyme
- His early life as a free man, first in East Haddam and then Saybrook (now Essex)
- An IOU signed by two Lyme residents, with Sawney Freeman being promised payment
- Records of his family’s life in Essex, including receipts for shoes and payment for work
- A notice for the sale of a book of Sawney Freeman music at Isac Beers and Co., a New Haven
bookstore - An image of his sheet music, presumably in Sawney Freeman’s own hand
- An excerpt from William Chauncey Fowler’s History of Durham, describing the ebullient
dancing when the well-known musician Sawney Freeman played the fiddle and foot organ at
a celebration for Caesar, Durham’s “slave King” - Sawney’s burial, with his wife, Clarissa, and son, James, in Riverview Cemetery in Essex
Witness Stone to Share Story of Enslaved Woman Baptized at Connecticut Church
By David Paulsen in the Episcopal News Service on October 13, 2022
An Episcopal church in Connecticut on Oct. 29 will dedicate its first “witness stone,” a small memorial to an enslaved woman who was baptized at the church, as part of a regional nonprofit’s efforts to share the stories of enslaved people in the places they once lived and worshipped.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Essex will memorialize the woman, Violet, with a stone marker to be placed in a prominent spot in the meditation garden in front of the church. Through its research, supported by the Witness Stones Project, the congregation determined Violet was born in 1775, was enslaved by St. John’s member Noah Scovell and became a baptized member of the church before escaping in 1802. Continue reading.
Historic Deerfield Looks to Shine Light on Untold History with Memorial Plaques
By Chris Larabee in the Greenfield Recorder on October 12, 2022
DEERFIELD — Up and down Old Main Street, houses from the Colonial era still stand, now turned into educational opportunities by Historic Deerfield in an effort to share the town’s rich history.
That history, however, didn’t always consist of the full representation, until Wednesday morning.
In partnership with the Witness Stones Project, Historic Deerfield unveiled 19 bronze memorial plaques outside 12 houses to commemorate the enslaved men, women and children whose stories are often untold or buried by the sands of time. By the mid-18th century, enslaved people lived in more than one-third of the houses on Old Main Street. Continue reading.
Historic Deerfield Unveils Witness Stones
By Richard Damas on Spectrum News 1 on October 12, 2022
DEERFIELD, Mass. – Historic Deerfield paid tribute to American history Wednesday by unveiling memorials around the museum to the enslaved individuals who once lived in the area.
Historic Deerfield partnered with The Witness Stones Project and revealed 19 memorial plaques at 12 locations around the museum’s mile-long street.
According to the museum, around one-third of the individuals who once lived in the area were enslaved, and the plaques have the names of the individuals who they could find information on.
Witness Stones Board of Directors member Pat Wilson Pheanious is one of the descendants of the enslaved families and said growing up in New England, much of the history around slavery was hidden from her. Continue reading.
Historic Deerfield Unveils Witness Stones
By Emma McCorkindale and Heath Kalb on WWLP on October 12, 2022
DEERFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Historic Deerfield unveiled 19 memorial plaques at 12 different locations on Wednesday.
Historic Deerfield, in partnership with Witness Stones Project, unveiled 19 memorial plaques along the museum’s mile-long street. Inspired by the Stolpersteine Project in Germany which commemorates victims of the Holocaust, this project’s purpose was to further acknowledge and recognize those that were enslaved. The Witness Stones memorial is a 4 by 4 brass plaque identifying the enslaved person where they lived and worked. Continue reading.
Historic Deerfield Unveils Witness Stones Map
For more information about the Witness Stones Project at Historic Deerfield can be found here.
Historic Deerfield Partners with Witness Stone Project to Unveil Memorials Honoring Enslaved Persons
(Deerfield, M.A.) – Historic Deerfield, in partnership with The Witness Stones Project™, will be unveiling 19 memorial plaques at 12 locations along the museum’s mile-long street. The plaques honor enslaved persons who once lived in the historic homes that make up the Historic Deerfield Museum. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at 128 Old Main Street, Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The general public and media are invited to the unveiling ceremony.
Wallingford’s 350+2 Jubilee a Success
The Wallingford Historic Preservation Trust took part in many events during the week-long 350+2 Jubilee Celebration. On June 18,, a replica of the Nehemiah Royce House, celebrating its 350th anniversary (1672-2022), was part of the 350+2 parade.
On Juneteenth, WHPT Board President Jerry Farrell and WHPT Director of Operations, Lorraine Connelly, both Directors of the Wallingford 350th Jubilee Committee, were hosts to the All-Faiths Service and Juneteenth Observance at the Seymour St. John Chapel on the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall. Sheehan High School vocalist Sajag Timilsina led attendees in a rousing rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” accompanied by Dr. Jeanette Gross, organist of First Congregational Church in Wallingford. The interfaith service was led Rev. Aaron Rathbun, Choate Rosemary Hall’s Chaplain. After the service, all were invited to attend the opening of WHPT’s “Enslaved Wallingford” exhibit at the Nehemiah Royce House, delving into enslavement of Black Americans in Wallingford between 1710 and 1840.
A dedication of Wallingford’s first Witness Stone in honor of Black Revolutionary War soldier Dick Freedom was held at the Royce House. A second dedication of Witness Stones in memory of Grace and Esau, enslaved in Wallingford, took place at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. WHPT has partnered with the Witness Stone Project, Inc. to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved through research, education, and civic engagement.
Wallingford Celebrates Juneteenth with Dedication of Witness Stones
WALLINGFORD — It was a sunny and breezy day Sunday, and especially busy at the Historical Society’s Nehemiah Royce House, where locals recognized Juneteenth and honored the lives of enslaved men and women.
The Historical Society opened the doors at the Royce House, 538 N. Main St., to host the historical exhibit “Enslaved Wallingford,” which chronicles the experience of enslaved Black Americans in Wallingford between 1704 and 1840.
The opening of the exhibit was held in conjunction with the dedication of three Witness Stones — the first ones dedicated in Wallingford. The stones commemorate the lives of enslaved individuals. Continue reading.
