Witness Stones Project, Inc.

Restoring History & Honoring Humanity

Witness Stones Installation Ceremony

Stonington School Project Tells the History of Enslaved Local Man

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Rev. Norman Erlendson says a few words Friday, April 28, 2023, after receiving the Cato Cuff Witness Stone during the installation ceremony at the First Congregational Church of Stonington. The ceremony was held to commemorate the life of Cato Cuff and presented by the Stonington Middle School eighth-grad class. Donna Brandelli, right, a descendant of the first minister of the First Congregational Church listens in the background. (Dana Jansen/The Day)

 

By Carrie Czerwinski, Special to The Day, on April 28, 2023

Stonington ― Stonington Middle School students presented the findings of their research on Cato Cuff, an enslaved man who was freed after his military service in the Revolutionary War, to members of the public at the Road Church on Friday.

Cuff was a member of the church, also known as the First Congregational Church, and married Flora Palmer there in 1820.

“This was a project that took weeks and weeks, but I think it was really important to have the opportunity to think and learn about slavery in a very local type of way, because I think it can be hard to really empathize people when all you see are statistics,” said eighth grade student Solana Thagnabouth. Continue reading.

Ridgefield 8th Graders Uncover the Stories of Two People Enslaved by One of Town’s Founding Families

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Ridgefield eighth graders’ research into the stories of two former enslaved residents culminated with a Witness Stones installation ceremony at the Ridgefield Historical Society on Nov. 15. Photo: Annie Tucci

In the Ridgefield Press by Kaitlyn Lyle on November 21, 2022

RIDGEFIELD — Local eighth graders worked to unearth and honor the stories of two former residents who were enslaved by one of Ridgefield’s founding families.

This project was incorporated into the Colonial Era unit of the eighth grade social studies curriculum at East Ridge and Scotts Ridge middle schools. Eighth graders worked with Ridgefield Historical Society and the Witness Stones Project — an organization that works with schools and community groups to “restore the history and honor the humanity” of enslaved individuals in Connecticut — to tell the story of two enslaved individuals held in captivity at the David Scott House. Continue reading.

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