Sojourner Truth: Suffragist and Abolitionist

On Sunday, March 13, 2022, historical reenactor Dr. Daisy Century presented an engaging and informative program, interpreting Sojourner Truth, a woman who was born into slavery in Ulster County, New York, and became a national force in the the country's battle for the abolition of slavery and the movement for women's suffrage.

Dr. Century is a historical interpreter based in Philadelphia. This was her third time joining the Durand-Hedden community. She had previously delighted a full-house at Jefferson School as Harriet Tubman, hosted by Durand-Hedden, and performed at the Durand-Hedden Juneteenth event in 2021.

Following the program, visitors returned to the Durand-Hedden House to v view the exhibit Honoring The Hard-Won Fight for Votes for Women.

Juneteenth 2021 at Durand-Hedden draws crowds; honors history

More than 150 visitors participated in the Juneteenth 2021 celebration hosted by the Durand-Hedden House, in partnership with the South Orange-Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. Part of a MAPSO-wide program, the event allowed people to gain insight into the years leading up to the Civil War through the work of historical reenactors portraying Harriet Tubman; a formerly enslaved man; and Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress and confidante. Three poets from the Maplewood Black Poets Project performed, and there was an exhibit by African American artist Mansa Mussa.

The exhibit on Slavery in New Jersey: A Troubled History was on view during the day, and moved to the Columbia High School Gallery in November 2021.

Durand-Hedden also has created a book based on the exhibit. To order a copy for $12.50 (including shipping), use the Donation button on the homepage to pay and put your name and address in the Comments box. Books can also be ordered by sending a check to Durand-Hedden House, PO Box 206, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Organizations wishing to order the book in quantity should write to info@durandhedden.org. The book can be previewed online.

Durand Family History: Cyrus Durand Chapman

Cyrus Durand Chapman (1856-1918), an artist, photographer and architect, was the grandson of Cyrus Durand and the nephew of Henry and Asher B. Durand. Family papers, artwork and memorabilia were inherited by Chapman's son, John Holbrook Chapman. The Cyrus Durand Chapman Collection was given to the Durand-Hedden House in 1996.

Cyrus Durand Chapman inherited the talents of his ancestors and was notable for a painting called "The Wedding Bonnet," a photo of which is owned by the Durand-Hedden House. Chapman used his wife and great-aunt as two of the three figures in the painting, and our exhibit will include an 1886 diary of his future bride. The Sunday Call newspaper reported that "Mr. Chapman's studio was visited by hundreds of art lovers and everybody was pleased with the large picture…"

The Cyrus Durand Chapman Collection contains many wonderful items, such as a small album of watercolor drawings and sketches, daguerreotypes of Cyrus and Phoebe Durand, a small treasure box belonging to Phoebe, an 1835 land deed, and correspondence. The first postage stamps authorized by Congress in 1847 featured Asher Durand's engravings of earlier portraits of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.