Society to Place 9th Bench by the Roads in Walden Woodss
Photo: Hilary Solan
The Toni Morrison Society, the Walden Woods Project, the Drinking Gourd Project and Save Our Heritage cordially invite you to attend a Bench By The Road dedication ceremony on Wednesday, May 22 the interpretive trail on Brister’s Hill in Concord. A bench will be placed in honor of the life of Brister Freeman (1744 (approx.) - 1822) for whom the area is named. Brister Freeman was a freed slave from Concord who fought in the American Revolution, who owned land in Concord, and who through his fortitude and ingenuity grew an apple orchard in the difficult soil of Walden Woods to feed his family and neighbors. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau mentions Brister Feeman and the other Black inhabitants in Walden Woods in the chapter titled "Former Inhabitants and Winter Visitors." http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/hdthoreau/bl-hdthowald-14.htm
Please park at the Walden Pond State Reservation parking lot and plan to arrive by 2:45 p.m. Use Lot A, which is to the left of the parking lot access driveway (the lot closest to Route 2). Complimentary shuttle vans will continually operate between Lot A and Brister’s Hill.
This is an outdoor ceremony that will take place rain or shine. We encourage you to wear comfortable shoes as we will be standing on sandy soil.
There will be a brief speaking program and light refreshments.
Please RSVP by Friday, May 17th either by return e-mail or by calling 781-259-4707.
For further information on the Toni Morrison Society/Bench By The Road Project: http://www.tonimorrisonsociety.org/bench.html
For further information on Brister’s Hill: http://www.walden.org/Explore/Walden_Woods_Ecosystem/Brister's_Hill
