FREETOWN DEPICTS BLACK LIFE IN 1870S

Living-history museum offers exhibits and traveling plays to teach people about life in Indiana after the Civil War.

ADDITIONAL READING

Great Black Hoosier Americans by Luther C. Hicks, 1977.

Freedom's Road: A History of the Black People in Indiana by Ethel Rosenberg, David-Stewart, 1970.

It's like going through a time tunnel. Songs from the 1800s. Practicing for a church get-together. Dull blue and gray clothing, a style of dress appropriate to the time. Speaking in authentic dialect.

This is Freetown Village, a living-history museum that shows what black life was like in Indiana in 1870. The village has a permanent exhibit in the Indiana State Museum in Downtown Indianapolis, but the village also has traveling exhibits and actors who perform at schools and festivals, often doing two or three shows a day.

It's a history lesson, but not like the lectures you get in school. This is the kind of history lesson in which you learn without even knowing it. Unlike some traveling plays, this group lets you participate in the performance.

Understanding the past

"I want the children to know some of the positive things that black people were doing in the North after the war was over," said Ophelia Umar Wellington, founder of Freetown Village. "We want them to know about the family, about a lot of the business that black people established."

"It's always good to understand your past, so that you know where you're going for the future," added Patrice Abdullah, a performer who portrays Guinea Blue Farnsworth at Freetown Village.

Six actors roam through the village performing or staffing booths to give information about the exhibits. They tell you in authentic dialect what it was like in the 1800s when their character was living.

They might perform a wedding, a typical Christmas or even just a normal day in the village. They also give demonstrations to show how ice cream, candles and other products were made.

At a show Children's Express attended at the Indiana State Fair, the "residents" of Freetown Village were practicing for a church service. A lot of the time was spent singing spirituals, such as Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, which told the story of their experiences.

"A lot of it is just information, communication from one slave to another, about the changes in the household, society, and the opportunity of getting away," said Abdullah.

"That was the only way that they could learn, because they couldn't read or write. Most of the slaves memorized what they had heard, as far as the Bible, they remembered the pages and passed it on," added Deanna Brewster, the Freetown performer who plays Sarah Elizabeth Cuffee.

Wanted: larger space

Wellington said she hopes Freetown Village will be able to move to a larger location where it can spread out and become even more authentic.

"What I really anticipate is having a village where people can come in and participate in the programs and do things all year long," she said. "And, learn about black history!"

(Starting Feb. 2, the Freetown Village exhibit at the Indiana State Museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Feb. 14, from noon until 4 p.m., there will be live performances and workshops at the village exhibit. Admission is free. For information, call (317) 631-1870.