Colonial Resources to Investigate and Research
Local  African American History 

Developed by the Witness Stones / Hidden Project 


This website is an archive of research completed and materials created  from 2017-2023 by the Witness Stones and Hidden History Project in West Hartford, CT. 

Our main focus was to address this question: How do we make slavery and freedom an integral part of the colonial story we tell?


Enslaved in West Hartford - first document

These were the first  primary documents we discovered in West Hartford that lead us on oour journey to tell the stories of these men and women who were enslaved here and helped to build this town .   

The Witness Stone Team 

Dr. Tracey Wilson, West Hartford Town Historian, retired West Hartford Public School social studies teacher, Gilder Lehrman state history teacher of the year, national presenter for Advanced Placement, and developer of WHPS course U.S. History through the African American Experience.

 Elizabeth Devine, retired social studies teacher in the West Hartford Public Schools. Devine was the 2009-2010 National Social Studies Teacher of the Year and was the West Hartford Teacher of the Year in 2000-2001. 

Denise deMello, retired West Hartford teacher/media specialist, brings her research and technology skills to the team. 

IMG_6780.mov

From 2017 - 2023 the Witness Stones team researched slavery in Connecticut and the West Division of Hartford. Lessons for teachers were developed with local source materials to engage students and community groups, teachers, and museum professionals.


The focus was to uncover the stories of formerly enslaved individuals and lead civic engagement projects to honor these lives. 


 These projects included the placement of 58 Witness Stones in the Old Center Cemetery, changing the name of a street and the town green, and adding a name to the Revolutionary War Memorial in West Hartford .