Complicated Colonial Narratives: Slavery in South Windsor

In 2023-2024 the Friends of Wood Memorial Library & Museum embarked on its largest research project to date, culminating in an extensive exhibit on local evidence of slavery.  There was a lot to digest and you may not have been able to visit.  

We therefore welcome you to one of two presentation sessions to explore the context of slavery in Connecticut and specific local evidence in South Windsor.  Learn about the arduous research process and the many named and unnamed enslaved people that we uncovered.  What we found, both personally and professionally, is that slavery in the North seems to have been largely missing from the local historical narratives that we grew up with.  ​

Examining slavery from a modern perspective is complicated, and our role as a history organization is not to pass judgement on the past in hindsight, nor is it our responsibility to ask you to.  However, understanding history is important to interpreting the world around us today.  We’ve come to know a little about a group of men and women in our town that we are excited to remember and introduce you to:  Tom, Ansara, Dr. Primus Manumit, Prince, Flora, Sylvia, Hector, London, Peter, Prince and several others. 

Thanks to advancements in digitization and public access of archival materials, information about this portion of history is more readily available than ever before, and as such this is primarily a visual presentation. 

There are two session options for this presentation:
In-Person: Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 2pm.
Zoom:  Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 7pm.  

Don’t miss these other supporting programs:
Book Discussion: Uncle Tom’s Cabin on ZOOM
Book Discussion Part 2: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Stowe Center Group Visit

Complicated Colonial Narratives: Slavery in South Windsor programs will be presented by Carolyn Venne, Executive Director, with support from an Access Grant through the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.  

Pre-registration via the short form below is greatly appreciated so we may plan accordingly.  This program is free, but donations to underwrite our ongoing program calendar are greatly appreciated.  A donation link will appear on the registration confirmation page.