The public is invited to a hybrid meeting on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Suffield Senior Center, 145 Bridge Street, when American Studies students from Suffield Academy will present their discoveries about their public history projects regarding Oliver Phelps and Titus Kent, at a meeting of the Suffield Historical Society.
Oliver Phelps, once the largest 18th century landowner in the country, negotiated the purchase of millions of acres from Native American landowners. The students will share information from upstate New York historians about Oliver Phelps’s relationship with the indigenous tribes of New York State. This project is supported by a partnership with the Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden, as well as a generous grant from the Suffield’s Greater Together Community Fund.
Students will also update the community regarding the developments of Suffield’s second Witness Stone Project that will commemorate the contributions of Titus Kent, a Black patriot, who served every year in the American Revolution. This project was supported by the Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Friends of Suffield community group. Historians estimate the number of Black soldiers and sailors in the Revolutionary War was approximately 5,000.
The Witness Stone Project seeks to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities. Founded in 2017 in Guilford, Connecticut, the Project has expanded with public history sites in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
Access the following link that will connect you to the Zoom platform on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m.
https://tinyurl.com/3anuuxcw
Email Bill Sullivan with any questions: bsullivan@suffieldacademy.org.