Mansfield Middle School students will present a free reading of a play about the town's 1774 Declaration of Freedom on Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to the Town of Mansfield. The performance begins at 6:30 p.m. in the newly renovated Mansfield Old Town Hall, home to the Mansfield Historical Society Museum. Refreshments will be served.
Historical society members originally created and performed "Freedom: That Sacred Plant of Paradise" in 1974 for the declaration's 200th anniversary. The document opposed actions of the English government. Students discovered the play through research and requested permission to revise the script for 2026. Working with enrichment teacher Jennifer McMunn, they also wrote biographies of colonial town residents portrayed in the play.
"This experience brings the idea of civil service full circle," McMunn said in the town's announcement. "The 1774 town meeting was run by volunteers starting to forge a uniquely American identity, and these students have now volunteered their time to interpret these records and connect it to the idea of modern democracy."
The project grew from local history studies connected to America 250 | Connecticut, according to the announcement. The middle school students will also perform for Mansfield Elementary School students and plan to lead an activity making Colonial-era tri-corner hats. Middle school students visit the elementary school throughout the year for mentoring and cooperative projects.
The historical society's "Mansfield's First Century" exhibit will remain open through Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the town. Open on weekends since July, the exhibit explores Mansfield's 18th-century agricultural history and participation in the American Revolution.
Source: "Students to Celebrate Mansfield's 1774 Declaration of Freedom" (mansfieldct.gov)
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