Farmington Valley's Freedom Trail

The program, Farmington Valley’s Freedom Trail:

A Choral Tribute with Harriet 2 (Harriet Squared), two, one-act plays about:

Harriet Tubman
and
Harriet Beecher Stowe
comprises a full evening of sight and sound. The Chorale will provide musical settings featuring a combination of contemporary Civil War music and spirituals, as the Emerson Theater Collaborative of Mystic performs their one act plays. Two performances: an evening performance in Simsbury’s First Church on Friday, May 1st, at 689 Hopmeadow Street, and an afternoon performance at Farmington’s First Church on Sunday, May 3rd. Both churches have historic ties to the abolitionist movement so are meaningful settings for this program.

What’s the Farmington Valley connection?

As early as 1792, clergy began spreading anti-slavery news through the Farmington Valley, at a time when the cost of doing so was the “loss of pew renters by the score,” according to William Edgar Simonds, “The Connecticut Quarterly”, 1895. These abolitionist ministers included Allen McLean, who served Simsbury’s First Church of Christ for many years prior to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s nephew becoming pastor there.

The Town of Farmington has a rich history of anti-slavery activities - in 1841 the town housed and educated 35 Mendi refugees who revolted on the slave ship Amistad.

Later it was an important stop on the Underground Railroad network, referred to by fleeing slaves as “Grand Central Station.” While Farmington was Grand Central, the Farmington Valley was the ‘main line.’ Passengers were handed off to conductors who led, or directed, the fugitives north along the Farmington River through Avon, Simsbury and Granby to the main receiving station in Westfield, moving them on from there to Canada.

By presenting this program in churches in Simsbury and Farmington that have deep historical connections to these remarkable Harriets and their legacy, we celebrate the important role that the people of the Farmington Valley played in the Freedom Trail.

Story From The: Farmington Valley Chorale

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