As part of ongoing outreach to colleges and universities around Pennsylvania, Cabot works closely with regional chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). We invited Mackenzie Krott, the President of Temple PRSSA, to attend the Dennis Farm event held last week at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. The following is her response to attending the event:
Listening to an inspirational story related to family and success usually serves as an eye opener to most. For me, the story of The Dennis Farm, and the family that lived there, was eye opening on an entirely different level.
As a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, I had never heard of the Dennis Farm before attending the event held in its honor at The African American Museum in Philadelphia on Tuesday, February 26. Living in Philadelphia, you could say I occasionally long for mountains, beautiful open space and some peace and quiet. I also have a bit of a passion for historic homes and properties, so when prompted to attend the event, I jumped at the chance. Before the event, I did a brief 30-second online search of The Dennis Farm and discovered a beautiful place that seemed to be frozen in time. Without even knowing the history and significance of the property, I knew that I was about to hear the story of a beautiful farm and a great American family.
Ms. Denise Dennis, a member of the seventh-generation of the Dennis family, guided the room through a detailed and well-documented history of her ancestors. Ms. Dennis explained that the ancestors who originally purchased the land around 1793 were documented, free African Americans. During a time in American history in which slavery was the norm, it was truly amazing to hear that a family bought land and lived free.
Ms. Dennis walked us through each generation of her family, showing marriage announcements, old photos, newspaper clippings and more. At certain points, her emotions peeked though, which personally made the event so moving to me. Looking around the room, I saw a mesmerized group of people, eager to hear more about the Dennis Farm.
Aside from the personal touches of Ms. Dennis’ presentation, I especially enjoyed the section on preserving the farm by Archaeologist, Wade Catts. My family helps take care of a historic home in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania that was built in the 1820’s, so I have an interest in old artifacts. Mr. Catts showed really great aerial images of the farm, which allowed me to get a better sense of the layout and the surrounding area. While at a quick glance the property looks like nothing more than a tree-covered sloping hill, it was Mr. Catts’ descriptions of the area that allowed me to picture what the property really looked like in the past.
The most important thing I took away from this event was the fact that more people, especially Pennsylvanians need to know about The Dennis Farm and the family behind it. It is so inspiring to know that an African American family lived and prospered in Pennsylvania, without ever being directly affected by slavery, like most families at the time did. The Dennis Farm, like most other historic sites around the country requires its story to be shared by many to ensure its survival, maintenance and success.
I will continue to share what I learned about The Dennis Farm with people I come in contact with, especially those who have a strong interest in American and Pennsylvanian history. I hope others do the same!
