The Connecticut Freedom Trail Announces New Leadership, Big Plans to Expand

The Connecticut Freedom Trail has new leadership with big plans to expand the number of sites along the Trail and improve understanding of the Trail’s history and its importance to Connecticut. Educator and living history expert, Tammy Denease, is now the Outreach Director for the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Under her leadership the Trail will develop a new website, brochure, and educational programming that will improve access to Trail sites and their stories. The Connecticut Freedom Trail is made up of over one hundred and fifty sites across the state. 

About twenty percent of the sites are monuments and cemeteries that commemorate the long history of Connecticut’s Black residents. Many of the other Freedom Trail sites are museums or cultural organizations that share the stories and contributions of those in the state who fought for freedom and full citizenship over the course of almost 400 years. Sites include Connecticut’s Old State House in downtown Hartford, the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, and Little Liberia in Bridgeport.

The Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development and State Historic Preservation Office has administered the Connecticut Freedom Trail since its inception. This year, the Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House has contracted to manage the Trail on its behalf. This partnership will enable the Trail to grow by adding new sites, new research, and a greater capacity for connecting historical people, events, movements, and places across the state, creating a more complete and accurate story of Connecticut.

As a state capitol for nearly 100 years, Connecticut’s Old State House played a role in many of the laws, debates, and judicial decisions affecting Connecticut residents and their relationships with one another. The first Amistad trials took place there, as did Prudence Crandall’s trial. Sally Whipple, Executive Director of the Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House says, “We’re very excited about this project and Tammy’s leadership. Finally, we have the ability to draw many stories together, helping us understand Connecticut’s full narrative — how people, places, ideas, and events intersected over time to create the state we know today.” 

The Connecticut Freedom Trail was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1995. Former New Haven Mayor and Legislator Toni N. Harp and Al Marder, founder of the Amistad Committee and former Mayor of New Haven, considered “the godparents of the Freedom Trail”, introduced the legislation based on their shared passion for preserving the legacy of sites related to Black history and the history of marginalized communities in Connecticut.  

Outreach Director Tammy Denease’s goal is that “no matter how you enter Connecticut: north, south, east, west, you know where the Freedom Trail is. These sites are telling a story important to Connecticut history, and maintaining the Freedom Trail will help us paint the story of Connecticut and all of the people who created it.” 

For now, follow the Connecticut Freedom Trail on Facebook to learn about upcoming programs. 

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