Memorial to the Enslaved

Mission

The Goodwood Museum & Gardens Memorial to the Enslaved will serve as a lasting tribute to those individuals, named and unnamed, who lived and toiled in bondage here and to their descendants.

Vision

Goodwood Museum & Gardens Memorial to the Enslaved is a sacred and contemplative place that brings together descendants, the community, and partners to educate, remember, and honor cultures and traditions to promote healing in the present and serve as inspiration for equality and social justice in the future. 

Design Competition winners have been chosen!

Goodwood would like to congratulate the winners of the design competition Sarah Rifqi, Alana Houston, and Hannah Smith for their concept “A Bridge to the Stars”.  All submissions will be on exhibit in the Main House Museum throughout the summer for all visitors to see.

Five jurors evaluated the design concepts and project statements based on their originality, artistry, adherence to the mission, presentation, and creativity. The local jurors were Autumn Calder (Director, Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency), Dr. Marilyn Proctor-Givens (Fine Arts Educator, Lincoln High School), Kenneth Reshard (Tallahassee Artist), Joe Roache (Retired Associate Director for Instructional Technology, FAMU), and LaVerne Wells-Bowie (Retired Professor of Architecture, FAMU). These professionals and artists of Leon County evaluated the designs and made sure they would be compatible with the space, as well as recognize and memorialize the enslaved people who toiled on the former plantation. 

The memorial will list the names of known enslaved persons and will be a site for sober contemplation and remembrance. It will also be a site for meetings, teaching, community engagement, and healing. Please check back for more updates about the progress of the project.

About Goodwood

At its largest extent, Goodwood included about 8,000 non-contiguous acres; over time two owners enslaved at least 200 people in the mid-1800s. Today, Goodwood encompasses 21 acres and serves the community as a museum, a community green space, and a venue for public and private events.

The materials available here may help with understanding the history of people who were enslaved at Goodwood and creating a design for the memorial. Materials include a list of individuals’ names that we know to have been enslaved here, a statement describing the research process and sources, and a map of Goodwood landholdings in the 1850s. In addition, a presentation on the lives of several enslaved individuals provides a more in-depth picture of some individuals’ lives, and a bibliography serves to connect people to additional information on the history of enslavement in North Florida.

To read more about Goodwood’s history, click here.

Jennifer Humayun
Goodwood Museum & Gardens

Dr. Nancy Morgan
Goodwood Museum & Gardens

Phyllis Asztalos

Pamela “Kabuya” Bowens-Saffo

Eryn Calabro