Abolitionist John Brown was born in
Torrington on May 9, 1800
and this year on May 9, 2017, the Torrington Historical Society
will host a party
to commemorate Brown’s birth.
Kevin
Johnson pastor of AME Zion Church in Torrington and research assistant at the
CT State Library will present his widely acclaimed and deeply moving
performance of William Webb, an
African-American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut.
Private Webb was an actual soldier, a native of
Hartford. He was recruited in 1863 and served in the Twenty-Ninth (Colored)
Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in several battles in Virginia.
Johnson’s presentation of Webb is told from an emotional and exciting
first-person perspective that vividly illustrates the struggle of the
African-Americans in the Colored Infantry during the Civil War. He tells of his
early life in Hartford, his recruitment and training, and the traumatic final
battles of the Civil War. The presentation is based on extensive research in
the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut
History at 231 Capitol Ave, opposite the State Capitol in Hartford.
The evening’s festivities will include a proclamation
by Mayor Elinor Carbone, remarks by Mark McEachern, executive director of the Torrington
Historical Society, Mark Linehan of the Torrington Trails Network and Torrington
resident Conrad Sienkiewicz, co-ordinator of the event.
Rounding out the program will be a drum circle led by Angaza Mwando of the AME
Zion Church followed by birthday cake and coffee.
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