Historical Society Honors 200 Years of Freedom from Slavery in Little Compton??
Moselle Gray, enslaved in North Carolina by Little Compton Native Arnold Gray. Freed and brought to Little Compton in 1860 by his brother and heir Willard Gray.??????
LITTLE COMPTON ??? On August 5, 1816 David Hillard???s last will and testament was approved by the Little Compton probate court. This would be an event of very little significance except for a few lines in David???s will that gave his ???Negro woman Kate??? her freedom. Kate was the last person to be enslaved in Little Compton. This summer marks the two-hundredth anniversary of her emancipation, and the Little Compton Historical Society is honoring 200 years of freedom in Little Compton with a year-long look at slavery and forced indenture in that community.??
Over 200 men, women and children of African and Native American descent were enslaved in Little Compton between 1674 and 1816. Dozens more were forcibly indentured by the Little Compton Town Council. For the last three years, the Little Compton Historical Society???s Managing Director, Marjory O???Toole, has been researching their lives using hundreds of primary source documents located throughout southeastern New England.??
Lucy Gray, the daughter of enslaved parents, lived her entire life 1801-1893 in her home on Meeting House Lane in Little Compton.
Between July 1 and February 2017, the Historical Society will be sharing the personal stories of Little Compton???s enslaved, indentured and newly-free people and the history of slavery, indenture and emancipation in the community with a new book and a special exhibition entitled ???If Jane Should Want to be Sold, Stories of Enslavement Indenture and Freedom in Little Compton, Rhode Island.??? This major project also includes a speakers??? series featuring a number of the region???s experts on northern slavery, a permanent addition to the Wilbor House Tour enabling visitors to see the sleeping quarters of Fal Solomon, an indentured Native American girl, an informational database created in conjunction with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and a marker in the Old Burying Ground on the Commons honoring the community???s enslaved, and almost forgotten people.????
The project has been generously sponsored by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Newport County Fund, the Rhode Island Foundation and the Ocean State Charities Trust as well as over 70 local supporters.????
The book, written by Marjory O???Toole, shares the true stories of dozens of locally enslaved, indentured and free people of color. Jane, who is mentioned in the title, was given the very unusual choice of being sold or not in her master???s will. Jane decided not to be sold. She stayed with the Church family of Little Compton. She became a wife and mother, fled from an attack by British soldiers during the Revolution and lost a son during the war. Jane???s story and those of two hundred other unfree people have been forgotten from Little Compton???s local history, but now their voices are being restored through this book and the special exhibition that accompanies it.
???If Jane Should Want to Be Sold??? will be available to the public at the Historical Society on July 2 during the organization???s annual Family Day celebration from noon to 4 PM and in local stores and through Amazon shortly after. Lending copies will be available at the Brownell Library.
The special exhibition by the same title will open to the public on July 2 at no charge during Family Day and will be available thereafter during the museum???s regular hours: Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 5 PM through Labor Day and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM through October. The exhibition will also be open upon request through February 2017 for individuals and groups. Admission during normal business hours is free to members of the Society and $7.50 for adults and $5 for children for the general public. Guided tours and school programs are available by appointment.????
The exhibition also includes a permanent addition to the Wilbor House tour that recreates the sleeping quarters of Fal Solomon, a forcibly indentured Native American girl who was ordered by the Little Compton Town Council to work for the Wilbor family until she was 18 years old.????
The public is invited to attend an Exhibit Preview Party on Friday, July 1 from 6PM to 8PM to celebrate the opening of the Special Exhibition and the availability of the Society???s new book. The author will be available to personalize copies. Tickets are $30 and must be purchased in advance at 401-635-4035.
A Family Day Celebration of Freedom takes place the following day on Saturday, July 2 from Noon to 4 PM and is free and open to the public. It features family activities, games and contests, free refreshments and an opportunity to tour the exhibit and the Wilbor House Museum at no charge.????
Related lectures and events will take place throughout the year, for more information please contact the Little Compton Historical Society at 401-635-4035.??