On February 1, to kick off Black History Month, the MCHS participated in a ceremony to dedicate the honorary Prince Mortimer Avenue (Rapallo Avenue). Born in West Africa in 1724, Prince Mortimer was enslaved in Middletown until 1811 when, at the age of 87, he was accused of poisoning his enslaver. He was sentenced to Old New-Gate Prison in East Granby, Connecticut. He remained imprisoned until 1834, when he died at age 110.
During his century in captivity, Prince worked in the ropewalk on the north end of Main Street, contributing to Middletown’s immense wealth as a leading sea port, while he remained enslaved and unpaid. The honorary Prince Mortimer Avenue honors Prince and all the hundreds of enslaved people of African descent who contributed to the creation of the City of Middletown.
This honorary street sign begins the City of Middletown’s new Honorary Street Naming Program. The idea for the initiative began almost two years ago when John Mills, founder of the non-profit Alex Breanne Corporation, approached MCHS Executive Director Jesse Nasta and Middletown Municipal Historian Deborah Shapiro about naming a street in honor of Prince Mortimer.
| Click here for news coverage of the event. |
To watch a recording of the entire dedication ceremony, click here.
And, to listen to a WESU 88.1 radio episode about Prince Mortimer and the Honorary Street Naming Program, featuring John Mills, Jesse Nasta, and Deborah Shapiro, click here |
