Arson Alternative
Let the house of infamy stand as a testament to shame
My friend Scott is the town historian. He’s painstakingly compiled a plethora of documents and memorabilia dating back to the mid-1800s.
Scott built a not-so-miniature museum on his property, in the form of a replica of a historical house, in which lived one of the founding families, name of Lynde.
Last month, Scott came upon a book that documented the history of slavery in our town. The book featured a will made by the patriarch of the eminent Lynde family, an excerpt of which reads I bequeath my negro man and my mulatto girl to my wife to do with as she will.
This afternoon, Scott showed me a brass plaque he’d had engraved, which reads: “Slavery in Melrose: Never Again!”
Tomorrow, Scott will affix the plaque to his little Lynde house, after which, he will return to the engraver to obtain a supplementary plaque. It will list the names of each of the slaves mentioned in the book.
Underneath which will be engraved: A nameless “negro man” and “mulatto girl” …
… and numerous such others.
