Restore History, Educate, and Honor Humanity
NEW HAVEN, CT —Stepna Primus, a “husband and farmer,” was enslaved by Amos Morris, Issac Forbes, and Enos Heminway, at the Morris house in New Haven. In 1796, Primus was emancipated. Also enslaved at the Morris House was his wife, Pink, “mother, wife and landowner,” who was emancipated in 1800. The lives of these two enslaved peoples have been memorialized with Witness Stones at what is now called the Pardee-Morris House. Continue reading.
By Lucy Gellman on Arts Council Greater New Haven on June 4, 2021
Sixth grader Kymani Chapman held a heavy cube steady in both hands, the letters on its face glinting. A name caught in the light: Stepna Primus, once enslaved by Amos Morris, Isaac Forbes and Enos Hemmingway in New Haven. Chapman steadied himself, feet spread wide as he lowered the stone into the ground. As he did, over two centuries of untold history came rushing back to a city that has tried to wipe them clean. Continue reading.
From the New Haven Museum
New Haven, Conn. (May 18, 2021)— Students from The Foote School will install commemorative Witness Stones Memorials recalling the lives of Pink and Stepna, two enslaved individuals who once lived in the Morris House, now known as the Pardee-Morris House, during a ceremony at the site on June 2, 2021, at 12:30 pm. The students will give presentations based on their research of Pink and Stepna. Continue reading.
