'Journey to Juneteenth' Comes To Salem Armory Visitors Center

SALEM, MA — A 45-minute program comprised of short stories and celebrating freedom will honor the "Journey to Juneteenth" at the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center on June 10.

The Essex National Heritage Commission and Salem Maritime National Historic Site will present Valerie Tutson's program at 11 a.m. Tutson will recount the day that the news of the emancipation reached Galveston, Texas following the end of the Civil War.

General Granger will read Order No. 3 and its impact on Tutson's fictional character as an enslaved person and then follow what happened to her and her family thereafter.

"We are truly honored to celebrate Juneteenth at our site and to highlight the significance of this holiday alongside our partners," Superintendent Jennifer Hardin of Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites. "Being a partner on this great program and wonderful exhibit is a way for the National Park Service to engage with this crucial piece of our nation's history and its ongoing impact on our society.

"We are grateful to Ms. Tutson, the North Shore Juneteenth Association, and Essex Heritage for
partnering with us to offer these important events to our park visitors."

The event is free and open to all ages, but those planning to attend is strongly encouraged as space is limited. Registration can be done on the Essex Heritage website here.

"We are excited to bring this presentation to the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center and look forward to the many festivities taking place throughout the Heritage Area leading up to June 19," Essex Heritage CEO Annie C. Harris. "Finding new and interesting ways to help people of all ages know and appreciate this day of freedom is very important and we are grateful to the National Park Service for partnering with us to make the event possible and free to the public."

The National Park Service will also host A Tower of Strength: Black Women of the Suffrage Movement exhibit curated by the North Shore Juneteenth Association Inc. from June 1 - July 16 in the visitor center gallery.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)