Dorothy Spruill Redford

Dorothy Spruill "Dot" Redford (born August 7, 1943) is an author, historian and former executive director of Somerset Place, a state historic site near Creswell, North Carolina. She is best known for the published account of her research into her family history, Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage.

Dorothy Spruill Redford
BornAugust 07, 1943 (1943-08-07) (age 77)
Columbia, North Carolina
OccupationAuthor, historian
NationalityAmerican
Alma materQueens College and East Carolina University

Biography

Dorothy Spruill Redford was born in Columbia, North Carolina on August 7, 1943.[1] She grew up in Queens, New York, and attended Queens College.[1] Inspired by Roots and her daughter's questions about her ancestors, Redford began to research her family history.[2] Redford spent nearly ten years researching her connection to the enslaved population of Somerset Place. In 1986, her research inspired the first Somerset Homecoming, a reunion of more than 2,000 descendants of the enslaved community of Somerset Plantation.[3] She co-authored a book about her family history and the reunion with reporter Mike D'Orso in 1988, the same year she began working as a program consultant at the Somerset Place State Historic Site.[3] She served as the site director from 1990 until her retirement in 2008. Redford was influential in transforming the interpretation of slavery at Somerset Place, creating a model of inclusive interpretation. Her efforts led to the reconstruction of a number of buildings related to the enslaved community, including slave cabins and the hospital, which is now the only interpreted slave hospital anywhere in the United States.[4] Redford received an honorary doctor of letters degree from East Carolina University in 2010.[5]

References
  1. Redford, Dorothy Spruill (1988). Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807848433.
  2. Moose, Debbie (9 June 1991). "Woman's journey unlocks powerful past". The News & Observer. Raleigh, NC. p. E1.
  3. Roberts, Frank (21 August 2008). "Work of N.C. history advocate brought lives of slaves to light". The Virginian-Pilot. Hampton Roads, Virginia.
  4. "John Beaver and Dot Redford Retire" (PDF), Carolina Comments, 56 (4): 117–151, October 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-10, retrieved 2014-02-21
  5. "Bowles to deliver ECU commencement address" (Press release). ECU News Services. 30 April 2010.
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