The Monmouth County Historical Association (MCHA) opened its newest exhibition “Beneath the Floorboards: Whispers of the Enslaved at Marlpit Hall” in Middletown, New Jersey. The exhibition will offer a better understanding of the roots of slavery in early Monmouth County and the complex dynamic of daily life and relationships among the enslaved.
“Beneath the Floorboards” was a development of the “Living and Breathing” initiative that began in late 2019 as a way to reinterpret MCHA’s colonial-era historic houses to include the narratives of enslaved African Americans that once resided in them. The exhibition is framed around seven of those individuals. Archival documentation, archaeological evidence, and items from MCHA’s museum collection will help tell the larger story of slavery in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Marlpit Hall is located at 137 Kings Hwy., Middletown, New Jersey, and is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 pm – 5 pm. For more information, click here.
The Monmouth County Historical Association collects, preserves, and interprets its extensive museum, research library, and archival collections that relate to Monmouth County’s history and culture.