Poet Eric Shorter to perform readings at 2025 Juneteenth at Durand-Hedden

Guests at the 2025 Juneteenth celebration at Durand-Hedden House & Garden in Maplewood on Saturday, June 14, will have an opportunity to hear the poetry of Eric Shorter, read by the poet. Eric Shorter is an award-winning poet, professional musician, and working actor. He is a 21-year resident of Maplewood, and the father of three Columbia High School graduates. He is the recipient of the Lord Buckley Award from Jack Mueller’s National Poetry Association and an Honorable Mention from Cave Canem for the Derricotte & Eady Chapbook Prize.

He was a participant in the Maplewood Arts & Culture BLM Poetry Project, video clip below.

Juneteenth at Durand-Hedden is an annual free community event, co-hosted by Durand-Hedden House & Garden and the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. See our event page for complete details and for free pre-registration.

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Daniel Carlton to portray Thomas Smallwood at 2025 Juneteenth celebration

Historical reenactor Daniel Carlton portrays a formerly enslaved person at the 2021 Juneteenth celebration at Durand-Hedden.Durand-Hedden House & Garden and the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race are pleased to welcome back historical reenactor Daniel Carlton for this year's Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 14, at Durand-Hedden House. This year, Daniel will portray Thomas Smallwood, a formerly enslaved shoemaker and arguably the originator of the term "The Underground Railroad."

Through dramatic storytelling under the trees of Durand-Hedden, Carlton will share Smallwood's life experiences from his shoemaker shop in Canada. These stories, brought to life by Carlton, are based on Smallwood's autobiography, A Narrative of Thomas Smallwood, Coloured Man.

Between 1842 and 1844, Smallwood organized hundreds of escapes for enslaved Black servants of government employees, helping them reach Canada. Operating near the U.S. Capitol building, he also detailed these efforts in a popular abolitionist newspaper column.

About Daniel Carlton

Daniel Carlton is a theater director, playwright, actor, poet, lyricist, and storyteller. His work often brings historical figures and events to life in ways that intersect modern challenges with stories of liberation from the past. Recent credits include: Director/Playwright of the national tours of "Freedom Riders, "Keep Marching," Freedom Flight," "Memories Of Self," and many more. He is the director of "Hero," "The Boy from Troy," and "Jabari Dreams of Freedom," by Nambi E Kelley. He was a performer in "Finding North."

Juneteenth at Durand-Hedden is an annual free community event, co-hosted by Durand-Hedden House & Garden and the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. See our event page for complete details and for free pre-registration.

RSVP TODAY

Why are we "Raising the Roof"?

Because the time has come.

Durand-Hedden's slate roof is now over 100 years old, well past its life span. The inevitable has become urgent. This is a complicated project because of the house’s age and historic significance, and because the roof will need to be taken down to its framing for reinforcement and structural repair before a new roof can be put on.

The Durand-Hedden House & Garden Association has been planning for and saving for this project for many years, but costs exceed what the Association currently has available and increasing material costs may make the project even more expensive than originally anticipated.

Saving the roof is vital to saving the House and the treasures inside, as well as to continuing the community-building and educational programs we all cherish. Please support this effort, either through purchasing tickets for our first Raising the Roof! fundraiser on the evening of May 16 or by making a donation directly to Durand-Hedden.