TEAM
Westport and the Westport Museum for History and Culture say they added new,
more inclusive historical markers to honor the contributions to the history of
the town.
Harold
Bailey, the chair for TEAM Westport, says the old historical marker behind Town
Hall characterized Westport as a "white settlement." Officials
enlisted the local historians at the Westport Museum to help with a new account
that included the indigenous peoples who used to live on the land and the
enslaved Africans who helped build the town.
"The
reason for doing this is to have an accurate, full history of how the town got
founded,” Bailey told News 12.
Westport
Museum director Ramin Ganeshram says it's important to view history from
multiple perspectives.
"You
live in a place that is so nice because of contributions of others, and you
feel that,” she said. “…It's worth paying attention to and it builds a sense of
being thankful, on some level, for everyone's contribution."
The
new markers can be found behind Town Hall and at 22 ½ Main Street. Organizers
say they hope to have more inclusive historical markers up around town soon.