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.

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 descendents 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