pulling at the roots: three plays about northampton history
|
Circling Suspicion
by Talya Kingston |
Rose
by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed |
The Optimist's Razor
by Patrick Gabridge |
Pulling at the Roots is a series of three site-specific plays that
move the audience through three centuries of Northampton history.
move the audience through three centuries of Northampton history.
Staged in the historic Shepherd Barn and on the grounds of Historic Northampton
at 46-66 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Commissioned by Historic Northampton, the plays are produced by Plays In Place,
a Florence, Massachusetts theatre company that brings historic stories to life with site-specific plays.
a Florence, Massachusetts theatre company that brings historic stories to life with site-specific plays.
Circling Suspicion
by Talya Kingston
Set in 1678
by Talya Kingston
Set in 1678
Circling Suspicion brings us into the home and mind of Mary Bliss Parsons
as she struggles with accusations of witchcraft.
as she struggles with accusations of witchcraft.
Mary Bliss Parsons (1628-1712) was born in England and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. She moved with her family to Springfield where she married Joseph Parsons and moved again with him and their three young children to settle Northampton in 1654. Rumors of her being a witch started while she was living in Springfield, due to her fits and night walks, and were exacerbated by the fact that another woman there, who was also called Mary Parsons, was convicted of witchcraft. In 1675, Mary Bliss Parsons was indicted for witchcraft and imprisoned for ten weeks in Boston to await her trial. She spoke in her own defense at this trial and was found innocent, although the rumors back in Northampton still continued to plague her.
Cornet Joseph Parsons (1620-1683), Mary’s husband, was a successful merchant and one of the wealthiest men in Northampton. As a young man, he witnessed the Springfield Indian deed and traded with local Native tribes throughout his life. He earned his title as a color-bearer in the Hampshire Troop of Horses and from 1675-78 fought in the King Philip’s War against the Wampanoags and other Indigenous people of the area. His eldest son Ebenezer was killed in the fighting.
Sarah Lyman Bridgman (1629-1668) was a neighbor of the Parsons both in Springfield and then in Northampton. After her infant son died in 1656, Sarah began to spread rumors of Mary being a witch. In 1661 she was charged with slander by Joseph Parsons and spent time in jail in Boston. The court ruled against her and her family was given the choice of paying a fine or making a public apology. They paid a fine. Her family and others in town continued to suspect Mary of witchcraft.
Rose
by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed
Set in 1750
Rose explores a fraught exchange in 1750 between famous cleric Jonathan Edwards and
Rose, who is enslaved by Edwards, as they face being forced to leave Northampton.
by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed
Set in 1750
Rose explores a fraught exchange in 1750 between famous cleric Jonathan Edwards and
Rose, who is enslaved by Edwards, as they face being forced to leave Northampton.
Reverend Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) a leading figure in the American Enlightenment and widely regarded as one of America’s most important and original philosophical theologians. He oversaw some of the first revivals at his church in Northampton. He lost his daughter Jerusha to illness in 1747 and she is buried in the town cemetery. In 1750, he was in the process of being removed from his position as the minister of Northampton due to his extreme views and unwillingness to bend.
Rose was a woman enslaved in the Edwards household, who was taken from her home in West Africa and brought to America in the slave trade. In 1750, she was unbaptized, and in love with Joab Binney who was a tradesman and had bought his freedom through his skills of blacksmithing and tannery.
Rose was a woman enslaved in the Edwards household, who was taken from her home in West Africa and brought to America in the slave trade. In 1750, she was unbaptized, and in love with Joab Binney who was a tradesman and had bought his freedom through his skills of blacksmithing and tannery.
The Optimist’s Razor
by Patrick Gabridge
Set in 1841
Set in 1842, The Optimist's Razor shows abolitionists David and Lydia Maria Child
confronting a decision that threatens their careers and marriage.
by Patrick Gabridge
Set in 1841
Set in 1842, The Optimist's Razor shows abolitionists David and Lydia Maria Child
confronting a decision that threatens their careers and marriage.
Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880): Born in Medford, MA, she was the author of popular novels and The Frugal Housewife, a home advice book for mothers, as well as the founder and editor of The Juvenile Miscellany, the first monthly publication for children in the United States. Her book, An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans, launched her into the world of abolitionist writers, and she was actively engaged in the struggle for abolition and for women’s rights.
David Lee Child (1794-1874): Born in West Boylston, MA, he was a Harvard educated lawyer who was deeply committed to the cause of abolition. He published and edited The Massachusetts Journal until it went bankrupt and also lectured on the topic of abolition. In 1838, after conducting research in Europe, he moved to Northampton with his wife to grow sugar beets, in an effort to replace slave-grown sugar with sugar grown with free labor.
