Norfolk Historical Society located in Norfolk, CT
The Black history of a town is often an unwritten one. In 1900, however, Theron Crissey devoted a chapter in his History of Norfolk to some of the town's Black citizens. Taking its title from the marble gravestone that townsfolk placed at Aunt Bilhah Freedom's grave in 1871, this exhibition chronicles African-American life in Norfolk.
Meet Jupiter and Fanny Mars whose flight to freedom was told by their son James Mars in his autobiography, dramatically narrated in a special audio presentation; Sam Smith, employed by Robbins Battell as his farmer and known throughout town as a musician; Wealthy Ann Prime whose great-grandmother Mum Bett's suit for freedom helped abolish slavery in Massachusetts; and Aunt Bilhah Freedom, celebrated for her cooking, especially her gingerbread.
The exhibition explores abolition activities in Norfolk and the operation of the Underground Railroad. Visitors are challenged to find the secret door to an Underground Railroad hiding space in a special installation. In recognition of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, a rare image dating from his 1860 presidential campaign is on display.
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