Colonial Resources to Research
Local African American History
Developed by the Witness Stones / Hidden Project
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Colonial Resources to Research
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?
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.movFrom 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 .
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