Submitted by Susan R. Waide
(August 20, 2026) — The 30th Annual Venture Smith Day Connecticut Freedom Trail Celebration will be held on September 12, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the First Church Cemetery, 499 Town Street (Route 151) in East Haddam, where Smith (1729-1805) is buried. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on and umbrella for shade if sunny. If raining the event will be held inside the First Church of Christ Congregational. Exhibits and refreshments will be served following the event in the Church’s Fellowship Hall.
The son of an African king, Venture Smith (Broteer Furro) became the first Black man to document his capture from Africa and life as an enslaved person living in colonial Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut and as a successful Black freeman in Connecticut. Well-known and respected, Venture Smith spent most of his freedom years in Haddam Neck and East Haddam. His grave, at First Church Cemetery in East Haddam, is one of the original sites on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
The following is information about this year’s speakers:
Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, and a nationally recognized scholar of American political and constitutional history, will talk about how “The American Revolution was Fueled by Sugar: Connecticut as the Provisions State.” Connecticut served an oversized role in supplying George Washington’s army during the American Revolution. Without that support, both in terms of actual supplies and logistics, it is questionable if the fledgling rebellion could have been sustained in its first year.
Dr. David J. Naumec, American military historian, battlefield archaeologist, and museum professional specializing in early American social history, conflict archaeology, and the military service of Indigenous and African Americans in New England will talk about “Connecticut’s Indigenous Troops: Army, Navy, & Marines 1775-1783.”
Dr. John Wood Sweet is an award-winning historian, author, and Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will present “Venture Smith and the American Revolution.” A specialist in early American history, he focuses on the social and cultural histories of race, slavery, gender, and everyday life in colonial and Revolutionary America.
Gary Red Oak O’Neil, Wangunk Elder and Historian, teacher and potter, will talk about “Employment and How It Affected the Smith and Wormsley families in 1940.” Red Oak is also a descendant of Venture Smith through marriage. He works to restore the historical narrative of the Wangunk, ensuring their heritage is integrated into local civic initiatives, such as the riverfront revitalization projects in Middletown. He has taught at Wesleyan Potters since 1968.
Dr. Karl P. Stofko, East Haddam’s Municipal Historian and Venture Smith family genealogist since the 1970s, will talk about “Cuff Smith, American Revolutionary Soldier.” Dr. Stofko received the 2022 Award of Merit for Individual Achievement from the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO). He is co-author of “A Brief History of East Haddam, Connecticut.”
“The Sisters In Stitches Joined By The Cloth” of eastern Massachusetts will return with their magnificent African-American quilts. Venture Smith’s family genealogy and family photos and artifacts from their trip to Ghana will be on display. Also, a Town of East Haddam proclamation will be presented. A wreath-laying ceremony by the descendants of Venture Smith and the annual Venture family reunion photograph will take place in the cemetery by Venture Smith’s grave.
For more information, call (860) 873-9375.
