Saving the Peters House: A Community Effort

On September 20, 2006, forty residents gathered at the Douglas Library in Hebron to learn more about the Peters House, and what it would take to keep it in public hands and preserve it.

The group saw a PowerPoint presentation (part 1 12MB) (part 2 12MB) given by John Baron which contained much new research on the house, as well as interior and exterior pictures of the house as it stands today. Baron also presented the attendees with a number of handouts, including a map of pre-1744 structures that are no longer standing, a map of Hebron’s architectural losses since 1869, a list of architectural features that, according to Baron, are significant and worthy of preservation, and some of Baron’s thoughts on the limitations of the town’s December 2005 architectural report .

Even more important than the architectural significance of the Peters House is its history. It is the site of a 1787 attempt by southern slave traders to take Cesar and Lowis Peters, Reverend Samuel Peters’ slaves, to the Carolinas. According to the testimony of Patience Graves (an original document still on file at the Connecticut State Library), it was a horrific scene, as the parents and their eight children, screaming and crying, were roughly chained and thrown into the back of a wagon. Hebron residents quickly rallied, and rescued the family in Norwich just minutes before they were to be herded onto a boat. A question has been raised frequently by town officials: “Can you prove that these slaves lived in this house?” However, a 1789 affidavit by David Sutton to the Connecticut General Assembly clearly stated that after Cesar and Lowis lived in and cared for Reverend Sam’s house after he fled to England just prior to the Revolutionary War: “After S. Peters left hebron which was Sept. 1774, sd Cesar Lived in his House …untill sd. Peters Lands were taken & leased out by the State of Connecticut: at which time sd. Cesar and his family were turned off…After the National Peace sd. Cesar returned to one of his Masters Houses & and cultivated the Farm which was much damaged by Tenants.”

Following the presentation, there was open discussion, questions and brainstorming for over an hour on what can be done to save the Peters House from private sale. Donna McCalla passed out a list of ideas, including things that can be done right now by residents, and things that can be done by community volunteers if the group’s proposal is accepted by the Selectmen. The proposal is due no later than Tuesday, October 31, 2006.

The first action item for anyone and everyone is to contact the Selectmen and Town Manager regarding your opinion. A member of Selectmen, also in attendance, confirmed the importance of doing this. You may contact these officials by calling (860) 228-5971, and asking for the town manager, or you may email townmanager@hebronct.com. If you are comfortable calling the Selectmen directly, they are listed in the phone book. Get your friends and neighbors involved if they, too, are concerned about the future of the Peters House.

Small groups are now being formed to assess the restoration needs, to prepare a proposal for the Town, and to review the proposal prior to submitting it to the Town. If you are interested in taking an active part, please contact us at info@HebronHistoricalSociety.org, or call Helen Reardon at 228-1159.

The community rallied to save the Peters family from southern slave traders in 1787. Here we are, 219 years later, and we need to rally once again to save this historical and architectural gem. Be part of it!

Newspaper Articles on the Peters House

• Meeting Wednesday on Historic Hebron House . Robert D. Muirhead, Journal Inquirer. 10-10-06
• Sam Peters Didn't Have Talk Radio .  John Breen, Journal Inquirer, 10-03-06
• Historical Society Wants to Save Samuel Peters House . Janis Franklin, Broadcaster, 9-29-06.
• Residents Out to Save Historic House . Stephanie Summers, Hartford Courant, 9-21-06.
• Future of Historic House at Stake . Stephanie Summers, Hartford Courant, 9-20-06.
• Historical Society Hosts Peters House Forum . Lee Sawyer, Journal Inquirer, 9-19-06.
• Some Hope for History: Hebron Board Takes Sensible Step . Susan Plese, Hartford Courant, 7-22-06.
• Historic Peters House Gets Reprieve On Sale For Now . Lee Sawyer, Journal Inquirer, 7-21-06.
• A Slave Story To Save . Stephanie Summers, Hartford Courant, 7-16-06.
• Selectmen, Fearful of Publicity, Rebuff Bid to Film in Historic House . April Rabkin, Journal Inquirer, 5-5-06.
• Peters House Limbo . Brittany Oat, Hartford Courant, 1-23-06.
• East Street Land Purchase A Step Closer . Lisa Jean-Francois, Hartford Courant, 7-16-04.
• Tentative Deal for East Street Land . Steven Goode, Hartford Courant, 7-2-04.

*NOTE: If you need Adobe PDF Reader and Microsoft File Viewers download them by following the links.