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 | |
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Born | August 07, 1943 (1943-08-07) (age 78) Columbia, North Carolina |
Occupation | Author, historian |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Queens College and East Carolina University |
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]
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