Hidden History: 300 Years on a New London Street Corner…. that no longer exists!

In this presentation, local history researcher Tom Schuch will cover 300 years of New London’s history, through the lens of a single street corner …. that no longer exists!

The corner of Shapley and Huntington Streets, adjacent to the original Town Square, bears witness to a veritable tapestry of New London history: from the earliest settlement days, through the West Indies trade, slavery, Revolution, emancipation, Black mariners, the struggle of the Black community for abolition, education and civil rights, and continuing through Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Green Book, and urban renewal. The presentation will include newly discovered information, some of which will be revealed for the first time, about the Anderson and the Harris families, and their descendants, who lived on that corner for 94 years, and the significant role they played in the history of the Black community throughout the critical period 1840-1940, when New London was a microcosm of American history.

Bio: Tom Schuch is a New London native and a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a longstanding interest in social justice issues. He retired after 38 years as executive director of a local residential facility for troubled adolescent males. He has an avid interest in history, particularly John Brown, the Civil War, and, as a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, he has a special interest in unknown, forgotten, hidden or suppressed local history. This interest led to the discovery of several of the sites that are now part of the New London Black Heritage Walking Trail. He has given over 50 presentations and podcasts of his findings, including published articles in Connecticut Explored Magazine, and several local newspapers. He has plans in the works to help Freedom Fighter, and local hero, David Ruggles gain the recognition he deserves, which may include a number of presentations, publications and a Symposium in the near future.