Restoring History & Honoring Humanity
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.
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.
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.
