Sheffield — After more than a year of planning, a bronze statue dedicated to Elizabeth “Mum Bett” Freeman will be unveiled. Before the unveiling, a series of events organized by the town’s Historical Society will be held on Friday, August 19; Saturday, August 20; and Sunday, August 21.
Freeman was born in Claverack-Red Mills, New York around 1744, and died in Stockbridge in 1829.
The statue has been installed on the town’s Village Green and pays homage to Freeman, a slave who sued for her freedom before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and won it in 1781. Freeman won her case more than 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation became law in January 1863.
The project to build the eight-foot-tall statue was announced last November by the Historical Society, state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox), The First Congregational Church of Sheffield, and the Berkshire Taconic Foundation.
“Freeman is a remarkable historical figure and a real trailblazer,” Historical Society Administrator Jennifer Owens said. “Over the years the Historical Society has been involved with a celebration of her case. Over a year ago several people came to us with the idea of putting up a statue of her. Freeman made a big impact on the future of any person of African descent in the state of Massachusetts. We want the world to know about her, and we think that this is a great way to bring attention to her for anyone who comes to Sheffield.”
When asked, Owens did not want to discuss the financial costs of creating and erecting the statue. Various sources have reported, however, that approximately $200,000 was raised for the project, with the statue created by New Jersey-based sculptor Brian Hanlon.
Owens said that some of the money raised for the project will go towards an annual scholarship fund in Freeman’s name that will start in the near future.
According to the Historical Society’s website, the event is a collaboration between The First Congregational Church of Sheffield, the Historical Society, and State Rep. Pignatelli.
The first event in the weekend’s celebrations is a panel discussion entitled “Elizabeth Freeman and The Telling of Black Stories” at Dewey Hall on Friday, August 19 at 4 p.m.
The roundtable event will include historians Dr. Kerri Greenidge, Dr. Sari Edelstein, Dr. Kendra T. Field, and Dr. Frances Jones Sneed.
The panel will discuss Freeman’s life and, as described in the press release for the event, “will use [Freeman’s] story as an entryway into a larger conversation about stories, silences, and the ethics of African American public history.”
On Saturday, August 20 at 7 p.m. at The First Congregational Church of Sheffield, the play “Meet Elizabeth Freeman” will be performed by Wanda Houston. The play is written by Philadelphia-based playwright Teresa Miller.
On Sunday, August 21 at 9:30 a.m., the 12th annual Walk to Freedom will take place at the Ashley House. The walk will lead down to Sheffield Green, which is where Freeman’s attorney, Theodore Sedwick, had an office. The event commemorates Freeman’s “walk to freedom” in hiring Sedwick to represent her.
The unveiling ceremony for the statue will be held right after the walk at noon at Sheffield Green near the Old Stone Store.
“The statue is created with historical symbolism in mind,” Owens said. “She will be facing in front of the Stone Store, which is one of the Historical Society properties. However, the statue is on the property of the Old Parish Church that she attended. She is looking across the street to where her lawyer’s office is.”
Various speakers will be a part of the statue unveiling ceremony, including former Gov. Deval Patrick.
For more information about the Historical Society’s programs and events surrounding the Elizabeth Freeman statue unveiling, go to the society’s website.
