Stonington Historical Society To Host Guided Hike On Juneteenth

Press release from the Stonington Historical Society:

June 15, 2021

This Juneteenth, the Stonington Historical Society will mark the day with a guided hike to the Venture Smith homestead site on Barn Island. Sometimes called Emancipation Day, Juneteenth celebrates the day thousands of enslaved African Americans throughout the United States were emancipated in 1865.

Venture Smith was kidnapped as a young boy in Africa and sold into slavery in the early 18th-century. He was later brought to New England and after decades of enslavement, he bought his freedom in 1765. In 1798, as an elderly man, Venture verbally dictated his life experiences, which were printed in The Bee of New London, Connecticut.

"The experiences of Africans in early America are often not well-documented, which is why Venture Smith’s autobiography is such an important historical source,” says Elizabeth Wood, Executive Director of the Historical Society. “Our mission at the Historical Society is to preserve and interpret ALL parts of Stonington history and we’re excited to honor Venture’s legacy on Juneteenth.”

Dr. Nancy Steenburg and Elizabeth Kading, both of the University of Connecticut will lead the guided tour. They will be joined by the archaeology team from Heritage Consultants, LLC, who conducted an archaeological survey at Venture Smith’s homestead last year.

Down at the Lighthouse Museum, the Historical Society has an exhibition on the life of Venture Smith on display currently. An updated version will be installed later this summer.

There are a few spots left on the guided hike, which is free. The hike will depart from the Stewart Road Parking lot at 10am and will last about 2 hours. Registration is required and you can register at tinyurl.com/SHSVentureSmithHike.

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.

This press release was produced by the Stonington Historical Society. The views expressed here are the author's own.