A social justice walking tour of Norwich

And learning about some Civil War history along the way

Good afternoon Norwich,

This morning on my way to the Post Office I happened upon a group of people heading towards the Norwich square. They were in a single file and were being led by someone. I parked my little Chevy truck and started walking towards the post office and noticed that they were on a guided tour led by Sara Rooker from the Norwich Historical Society. I asked Sarah if I could take a photo or two and do a short story.

And as you can see from this story the answer was a big yes.

On the road to learn about history and make some along the way

Sarah Rooker telling me a little something about the walkabout.

Each member of the class had their walking papers (guided tour info if you will).

This was a Dartmouth history class, and they took a social justice walking tour of Norwich, focusing on temperance, anti-slavery, and the underground railroad in the years leading up to the Civil War. 

The tour looks at some of the contradictions that were alive in Norwich before the Civil War. There were southern cadets attending Norwich University at the same time the Norwich Female Abolition Society was sewing clothing and quilts for those escaping slavery.

Lewis partridge, who lived in what is now the Post Office was tried for treason and had “Confederate sympathies” at the same time Norwich was sending soldiers off to fight in the war. The group talked about the many voices of the past that have not been heard and how “official” histories (such as the histories on some of our historic markers) silence other stories and voices.