Norfolk’s black history on exhibit at Norfolk Historical Museum

By Dorothy S. Pam

Ruthann Olsson’s painting of a tree representing the history of Norfolk’s black families graces the entrance to a new show at Norfolk Historical Museum.

Ann Havemeyer, the curator, and Barry Webber, the president of the Norfolk Historical Society, have created a visually exciting show rich in narrative detail tracing black life here from 1790 to 1920. Havemeyer created the show using church records of baptisms, marriages and burials by Reverend Ammi Ruhamah Robbins, Norfolk’s pastor from l761 to l813; the chapter on Norfolk’s African-American residents from Theron Crissey’s l900 history; census records from l800 to l930 plus military lists, letters, documents, property deeds, maps, photos and historical artifacts. The show incorporates many of these items and also uses information panels and interactive exhibits to trace the story of black families in the life of Norfolk, and to chronicle some of activities of leading citizens who were active in the anti-slavery movement. At the entrance is the key organizing image of the exhibit, Ruthann Olsson’s large painting of a tree whose branches end in blossoms representing black families. Nearby is a portrait of James Mars, who seized his freedom from Connecticut’s convoluted slavery laws in l815 and became a landowner in Norfolk. He went on to found Hartford’s first black church, which became a center for abolitionist and educational activities for the community, In l864 he published “The Life of James Mars: A Slave Born and Sold in Connecticut.” A copy is on display, and visitors can press a button on the cabinet to hear key portions narrated by Tom McGowan. A section devoted to the Underground Railroad displays an 1850 map of stops alleged to be at the homes of Thomas Cowles and Deacon Amos Pettibone. Both were members of the Norfolk Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1844. A handwritten draft of Cowles’ resolution urging the Church of Christ to cut off from its communion and pulpit anyone who practiced or silently consented to the evils of slavery is on exhibit. So is a portrait of Mum Bett, who helped abolish slavery in Massachusetts in 1781 and was the great-grandmother of Norfolk citizen Wealthy Ann Prime. A “secret door” in the exhibit leads to a reconstruction of an Underground Railroad hiding place into which visitors may crawl to experience the confined space. Several displays feature the histories of selected groups of black families. One group, for example, lived in an enclave on Canaan Mountain called Slab City. These families owned their log cabin houses, attended local schools, and during the Civil War enlisted in the military. Two fought with a Connecticut regiment, and two with the 54th Regiment, the first black regiment in Massachusetts. Their spirit is evoked in the exhibit by a transparent photograph of an unidentified black soldier in full Civil War uniform next to a stand holding a list of all the names in the 54th Regiment. A large copy of Thomas Hovendon’s “The Last Moments of John Brown,” in which Brown is portrayed kissing a small black child as he is led from the courthouse hangs nearby. The original of this painting was commissioned by Robbins Battell, a leading citizen of Norfolk and an abolitionist. He was also a collector, transcriber and arranger of black music. A mid-nineteenth century kitchen setting is dedicated to recalling the history of Aunt BIlhah Freedom, whose family lived in and around Village Green on and off since l792. After attending school here, she gained fame as a cook and was known for the gingerbread that she sold to the children of the town. It is the inscription on her marble gravestone that is the source of the title of the current exhibit. Details on planned walks to Slab City and Center Cemetery, and other events related to the exhibit can be obtained by visiting NorfolkHistoricalSociety.org. The Norfolk Historical Museum, at 13 Village Green, is open June 6 through October 11 on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. and other times by appointment. .