Restore History, Educate, and Honor Humanity
WEST HARTFORD — On Aug. 20, 1740, John Hosmer of West Hartford settled a debt with his neighbor. He didn’t settle the debt with money, but by handing over Ned, a 9-year-old Black child valued at 115 pounds. Continue Reading.
In October 2019, Witness Stones West Hartford remembered and honored the lives of six enslaved men and women. We invite you to watch highlights from the ceremony here:
By Ronni Newton in We-Ha.Com on October 24, 2019
History involves the study of what happened in the past, but we all know there is more than one side to most stories.
There are also stories that have yet to be told.
When Tracey Wilson and Liz Devine started the Witness Stones Project in West Hartford, they wanted to find those stories, the stories about the lives of the enslaved people who are a part of the town’s history. People whose made contributions that few, if any, know about today. They wanted to acknowledge that slavery existed in West Hartford, and commemorate the lives of those who were enslaved while at the same time inspiring community conversation. Continue reading.
Fifth graders in the Renbrook School’s Social Studies, Language Arts, and Arts Class share their work with the Witness Stones Project.
From the Kingswood Oxford School on June 3, 2019
History teacher Katie McCarthy’s Form 5 class addressed our nation’s complicated and painful history of slavery by participating in the Witness Stones Project which “seeks to restore the history and to honor the humanity and contributions of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities” according to the Noah Webster House website.
Over the course of several weeks, KO students learned of Prut, an enslaved man who was owned by John Whitman, Jr. of 208 North Main Street in West Hartford and who died during the Revolutionary War at Fort Tigennderoda in New York. Very little information exists about Prut, and McCarthy said that the more the students researched the man, the more questions arose about him. Continue reading.
By Michael Walsh in the Hartford Courant on October 4, 2018
Retired West Hartford high school history teachers Tracey Wilson and Liz Devine worked with Conard High School students and the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society to lay the first in a series of witness stones that address the town’s connection to slavery. Continue reading.
The Witness Stones Project was present for another milestone today when the Witness Stones West Hartford Project a committee of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society along with West Hartford Public Schools held their first installation ceremony honoring George and Jude.
Thank you to Tracey Wilson and Liz Devine for shepherding this project, teacher Sean O’Connor inspiring his AP U.S. History class, and most importantly for the students at Conard High School for doing the heavy lifting it takes to: “Restore the history and honor the humanity and contributions of the enslaved individuals, George and Jude, who helped build our communities.”
Thank you to Connecticut Humanities for sponsoring the growth of this project within Connecticut!
Last week, the Witness Stones Project conducted its first Teachers’ Workshop inviting educators from West Hartford, Middletown, and Guilford. At the workshop they learned, shared, and discover the project whose aim is to: Restore the History and Honor the Humanity and Contributions of the Enslaved Individuals Who Helped Build Our Communities.
We spoke about Bristow, Mimbo, and Joachim, three of the enslaved persons that our communities have remembered or will remember through the Witness Stones Project. We also spoke of the issues of memory and failing to come to terms with our past. We looked at the documents that uncover the lost history and return the color to the fabric of our community’s history.
Thank you to Connecticut Humanities for funding the workshop with a Quick Grant, the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society for hosting day two of the workshop, and the Middlesex County Historical Society for hosting day three! The expertise of historians and educators from all three communities provided a framework to continue the project in each community.
Especial thanks to Anne Farrow, Debby Shapiro, Tracey Wilson, Liz Devine, Lauren Gullette, Sally Nyhan, Doug Nygren, and Tom Bushnell for leading the discussions. Thank you to our friends at Guilford, Connecticut Park and Rec Department for hosting day one. And an ongoing thank you to the Guilford Preservation Alliance and the Guilford Foundation for their continued support.
