Series of articles from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Reconsidering Celebrations at Sites of Enslavement continues this conversation by chronicling the history of sites of enslavement in the National Trust portfolio and the resulting actions taken by the National Trust to ethically steward those sites, while also providing initial guidance for other historic properties addressing similar considerations across the country.
The first three stories, written by Elon Cook Lee, the director of interpretation and education for the National Trust's historic sites, shares her personal history with this work, positions the National Trust’s legacy with sites of enslavement within the broader historical context, and outlines future plans and actions for our work on these issues.
Additional stories provide a look at wedding practices of enslaved men and women, guidelines for sites regarding marketing on online wedding platforms, and concludes with a case study from National Trust Historic Site Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House.