Stonington Historical Presentation Focuses On Colonial Era

Information via Stonington Historical Society

STONINGTON — In 1756 the seaside community of Stonington was home to the second-largest population of Africans in New London County; yet an exhaustive search of historical records reveals the proliferation of slavery here was largely kept out of the record books.

Using a state grant, the Stonington Historical Society commissioned an extensive look at the lives of enslaved people here, and the results of that work will be the subject of a Feb. 11 discussion hosted by the organization. Professors Nancy Steenburg and Elizabeth Kading have spent years researching this topic, with a particular focus on one enslaved man, Venture Smith, who is perhaps the community’s most well-known enslaved African during the Colonial era. Thanks to funding from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the most recent research efforts of these two historians will provide the foundation for a permanent exhibit in the Lighthouse Museum, which is one of two museums owned and operated by the Stonington Historical Society. That work is also the basis for the upcoming lecture.

The lecture on Feb. 11 will offer new insight as to how enslaved people were – and were not – acknowledged in historical records, and whether it’s possible to trace the lives of these marginalized people.

This presentation is offered to the public at no charge. To register and receive the link for this online webinar, visit the February calendar page at stoningtonhistory.org.

Founded in 1895, the Stonington Historical Society preserves, interprets and celebrates the history of all of Stonington, Connecticut. The Society owns and operates the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House, the Lighthouse Museum and the Woolworth Research Library, as well as maintaining its collection of objects and documents and offering educational programming throughout the year. For more information, visit stoningtonhistory.org.