FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tom Lincoln

Director@RoyallHouse.org
781-396-9032

DRAFT

"Compelled to Servitude: the Story of Belinda" Presented in Two

Performances on October 3
On Saturday, October 3, Compelled to Servitude: the Story of Belinda will be presented at noon and 3:00
p.m. at the Royall House and Slave Quarters, 15 George Street.
Compelled to Servitude introduces Belinda, a formerly enslaved woman, who in 1783 petitioned the
Massachusetts Legislature for a pension from the estate of Loyalist slaveholder Isaac Royall, who fled at
the start of the American Revolution.
Storyteller Tammy Denease brings Belinda to life, telling the story of the young African girl who was
captured at age eleven and forced to spend more than fifty years in service to the Royall family at Ten Hills
Farm in Medford. The Royall House and adjacent slave quarters will be open for visitors after both
performances.
Pre-payment is required. Admission for Historic New England and Royall House members is $5. General
admission is $10. For tickets, please visit http://shop.historicnewengland.org/HQ-EVENT-MTX-2-9762/ or
www.royallhouse.org (and click on "News and Events") or send an e-mail to Director@royallhouse.org or
call 781-396-9032.
The event will be held at the Royall House and Slave Quarters at 15 George Street, Medford. On-street
parking is available, and the museum is located on the 96 and 101 MBTA bus routes. Please
About the museum: In the eighteenth century, the Royall House and Slave Quarters was home to the largest
slaveholding family in Massachusetts and the enslaved Africans who made their lavish way of life possible.
Architecture, household items, and archaeological artifacts bear witness to the intertwined stories of wealth
and bondage, set against the backdrop of Americas quest for independence. The Slave Quarters is the only
remaining such structure in the northern United States, and the Royall House is among the finest colonialera buildings in New England.
About Historic New England: Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive
regional heritage organization in the nation. We bring history to life while preserving the past for everyone
interested in exploring the New England experience from the seventeenth century to today. Historic New
England owns and operates thirty-six historic homes and landscapes spanning five states. We share the
regions history through vast collections, publications, public programs, museum properties, archives, and