First sculpture park in nation to honor U.S. Colored Troops
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The Cameron Art Museum invited the community to celebrate the only sculpture park in the country created to honor the United States Colored Troops and their fight for freedom.
It’s a part of American History some say is omitted from school books, the heroes who won the battle on the grounds on what is now Cameron Art Museum.
According to CAM’s Executive Director Anne Brennan, the events that happened on where the museum is located is a part of American History everyone should know.
“This engagement here, right on these grounds led decisively to the end of the American Civil War,” she said.
Civil War Reenactor James White and his brother Joseph White are the descendants of these soldiers.
“A lot of people don’t know it was a battle sight,” he said. “Black soldiers fought here to push the Confederate soldiers out of Wilmington.”
“I’m learning more about history now being in part of the Civil War than I did in high school or college,” said Joseph White.
The of PNC United States Colored Troops Park opened Sunday to the public.
The event featured speakers, a poet and the sculpture of the permanent statue “Boundless” which sits on the site where the Civil War Battle of Forks Road took place.
“This art work is here to serve a purpose, you know to connect generations and all cultures to learn the history that happened on these grounds,” said Stephen Hayes.
The Williston Alumni Choir’s hymns evoked the pain and reality the Colored Troops faced, but their story, they lived to tell.
“This is a way to remind us that of the sacrifice they gave us at a time when it wasn’t easy,” said New Hanover County Commissioner Rob Zapple
“We are where we are because someone helped us along the way,” said Wilmington City Council Member Clifford Barnett, Sr.
The park will now be a community space used for gatherings, field trips, classes, workshops and storytelling.
According to Cam Director of Lifelong Learning September Krueger, it’s a history that needs to be told.
“We are singing the story of heroes who served and fought,” she said. “This heroism is something has been over looked for far too long.”
In February 1865, more than 1,800 Colored Troops went to battle.
The museum has announced a call for descendants of the 1st, 5th, 10th, 27th, and 37th United States Colored Troops regiments for an oral history collection and for a homecoming celebration in November of 2023 to honor the legacy of these brave men and their families.
More information can be found here.
