Sturbridge tells story of slavery in colonial Massachusetts
Date: 1/11/2010
Storyteller and museum educator Tammy Denease Richardson will present "Life after Slavery: The Clo Pratt Story" as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities at Old Sturbridge Village.
STURBRIDGE Storyteller and museum educator Tammy Denease Richardson will present "Life after Slavery: The Clo Pratt Story" as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities at Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) on Jan. 18.
The performance is based on the true story of Clo Pratt, an African-American woman born into slavery in Massachusetts in 1737.
Old Sturbridge Village is also offering free admission for children in January (a $7 value per child). Through Jan. 31, all kids age 17 and under get free admission to the Village when accompanied by an adult (the offer does not apply to educational groups of 10 or more).
Other MLK Jr. Day activities include ice skating (bring your own skates), sledding on 1830s-style sleds, and sleigh rides (snow permitting).
After enjoying the museum's outdoor winter activities, visitors can warm up indoors beside one of the Village's many cozy fireplaces and take part in hands-on crafts and activities.
Children can also spend time "pretending" in OSV's popular "KidStory" indoor play area.
In character as former slave Clo Pratt, storyteller Richardson introduces her audience to a fascinating woman whose story has been obscured through history, but who was influential in the African-American community of her day.
In 1774 after her owner's death, Pratt finds she has been willed her freedom and must earn a living and make a place for herself in Colonial New England.
As a child in Mississippi, Richardson listened to stories told by her own great-grandmother, a former slave who lived to the age of 125.
"It's amazing to me that living in the year 2010, I personally knew and loved dearly someone who survived slavery," Richardson said. "I draw on my great-grandmother's own life story for inspiration when portraying Clo Pratt."
All MLK Jr. Day programs at Old Sturbridge Village are included in the cost of admission to the museum. With more than 40 restored buildings farmhouses, mills, meetinghouses, and craft shops on more than 200 acres of fields and woods, Old Sturbridge Village is one of the country's oldest and largest living history museums.
Winter hours at OSV are Wed.-Sun. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the Village is open on all Monday holidays).
Children age 17 and under receive free admission through Jan. 31. Normal admission is: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors; $7 for children ages three to 17; children under three are admitted free.
Each admission includes a free second-day visit within 10 days. For more information, visit
www.osv.org.
