Witness Stones: Phillis & Peter

On May 29, 2024 a special ceremony unveiled Witness Stones honoring the lives of two people enslaved in 18th century Longmeadow took place. The event brought together three community groups - the Longmeadow Public Schools, First Church of Christ, and the Longmeadow Historical Society in collaboration with the Witness Stones Project - to commemorate the lives of Phillis and Peter.

Seventh Grade students at Glenbrook and Williams Middle Schools spent time in their ELA and History classes pulling together details from primary and secondary resources to build a picture of the lives of Phillis, who was enslaved by Reverend Stephen Williams and her husband, Peter, who was enslaved by Captain George Colton. Their research was presented at the ceremony in essays, poems, plays, and various art mediums with the wider Longmeadow community at First Church on the green.  Phillis and Peter were both baptized and married at First Church. The ceremony ended with the unveiling of two stones placed in their honor along the sidewalk outside First Church.

In 2022, in an event called Say Their Names, the Longmeadow Historical Society first shared the names and stories of sixteen enslaved individuals known to have been connected with First Church. As a way of installing a more lasting memorial to these people’s lives, the Social Justice and Adult Education committees organized a meeting between the schools, the Historical Society, and the Witness Stones Project, a “non-profit, educational initiative whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.” The Witness Stones Project in Longmeadow was funded through a grant from Mass Humanities and the Mass Cultural Council.