Witness Stones Project Inc.

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Poets Celebrate Juneteenth in Old Lyme

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Professor Kate Rushin (far right) poses with poets Antoinette Brim-Bell, Rhonda Ward and Marilyn Nelson at the Juneteenth celebration.

From the Connecticut College News on June 29, 2022

At the Florence Griswold Museum’s Juneteenth celebration, Conn Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence Kate Rushin read “Fishing for Shad,” a poem she wrote about the story of Jack Howard, who was born enslaved in Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1795 and was willed to another person at the age of 14.

“I don’t know where I belong
but I know I don’t belong here.
I don’t know much
but I know what is right.
I don’t have much
but I have myself.
I’m not a man yet
but I’m not a child.
I don’t want much
but I want more than this,” she recited.

Rushin was one of four acclaimed Connecticut poets to participate in the June 18 event, which also featured the Nat Reeves Quartet in a celebration of jazz and poetry. Rushin and fellow poets Marilyn Nelson, Rhonda Ward and Antoinette Brim-Bell read a verse cycle written in collaboration with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Project, about 14 African-descended persons once enslaved in Old Lyme. Continue reading.

Witness Stones Celebration Highlighted Installation of Plaques Marking Sites of Enslavement in Old Lyme

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Katie Huffman, Director of the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, welcomes guests to the ceremony, the inaugural event for the library’s new patio. All photos from the ceremony courtesy of the Florence Griswold Museum. Courtesy of LymeLine.com.

OLD LYME –The Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership held an installation ceremony last Friday, June 4, celebrating the town’s newly installed Witness Stones—historical plaques commemorating the lives of 14 individuals, who were once enslaved on Lyme Street.

The project expands the understanding of local history and honors the humanity and contributions of those formerly held in bondage. Continue reading.

Honoring the Forgotten

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By Jim Altman on Fox61 News

OLD LYME, Conn. — The Witness Stones Project, a non-profit initiative that honors enslaved people that worked and lived in Connecticut centuries ago has now made its mark in Old Lyme.

Outside the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, a ceremony took place to recognize 14 Witness Stones that are along Lyme Street in town. Continue reading.

Witness Stones Dedicated to 14 Enslaved in Old Lyme

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By Cate Hewitt in CTExaminer on June 4, 2021

OLD LYME — Cato, Lewis Lewia, Humphrey, Caeser, Jack Howard, Jenny Freeman, Luce, Crusa, Nancy Freeman, Temperance Still, Jane, Pompey Freeman, Samuel Freeman, and Arabella — 14 African Americans who were once enslaved along what is now Lyme St.

Until recently, their history had been almost entirely unknown and untold, and few people knew the history of slavery in Connecticut. Continue reading.

Old Lyme Installs Witness Stones

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Courtesy of NBC Connecticut

From NBC News Connecticut on June 4, 2021

Stones honoring the lives of formerly enslaved people now line Lyme Street in Old Lyme. The fourteen plaques are called “witness stones” and are designed to help people learn about and honor the enslaved people who lived in town.

“To help people understand the true history of their town because you lose things when you forget,” said Pat Wilson Pheanious.

Wilson Pheanious is the co-chair of the board of directors for the Witness Stones Project. The project has helped communities across Connecticut, including Guilford and New Haven, remember those who have gone unrecognized for so long. Continue reading.

New Generation of Historians Reveals Untold Stories in Old Lyme

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Marilyn Nelson prompts the audience to repeat each of 14 names after she reads each one during the installation ceremony for the Witness Stones placed along Lyme Street at the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

By Elizabeth Regan in The Day on June 4, 2021

Old Lyme — Though they are the town’s youngest historians, they are among the first to reveal centuries-old stories of the people enslaved on Lyme Street.

Seventh graders at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School this year pieced together the stories of Jenny Freeman and Lewis Lewia, two of the people held in bondage on the street once inhabited by wealthy sea captains, shipbuilders and merchants.

It’s all part of the Witness Stones Old Lyme community partnership to install small plaques commemorating individuals once enslaved. A ceremony was held Friday after the first 14 stones were placed earlier this week. Continue reading.

Witness Stones Old Lyme to Hold Installation Ceremony

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This plaque commemorating the life of enslaved person, Jack Howard, is located at 5 Lyme Street, which is the parsonage of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

OLD LYME – The Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership will hold an installation ceremony Friday, June 4, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. celebrating the town’s newly installed Witness Stones—historical plaques commemorating the lives of 14 individuals, who were once enslaved on Lyme Street. Continue reading.

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

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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.

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