Teretha Jones to portray Elizabeth Keckley at 2025 Juneteenth celebration at Durand-Hedden House in Maplewood

Teretha Jones as Elizabeth Keckley, Juneteenth 2021 at Durand-Hedden House & Garden.We are pleased to announce that Teretha Jones, "TJ," will be returning for our sixth annual Juneteenth celebration at Durand-Hedden House & Garden in Maplewood on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Ms. Jones has delighted our Juneteenth guests in the past as she portrays Elizabeth Keckley, seamstress and friend to Mary Todd Lincoln.  

Ms. Jones has received recognition in the Tri-State region through her love of history. She is a re-enactor of both the American Revolutionary War and Civil War with the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and 3rd, 6th, 22nd United States Colored Troops, as a civilian.

Don't miss the opportunity to go back in time and visit with Elizabeth Keckley.

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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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.

RSVP TODAY

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