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In the midst of a sea of unknown immigrant faces, one stands out: that of Maggie Delany. In her role as an Irish indentured servant, Maggie brings her story of hardship and heartache during the colonial period to life as no one else has. Maggie will make you laugh, cry and take history seriously. Her tale has something in it for everyone, of every age.
“Maggie is not a real person, but rather a compilation of research and real indentured servants that I’ve studied,” said Carol Jarboe, the voice behind Maggie Delaney. “I’m an educator at heart. I love to learn and I love to teach others what I have learned.” She does just this through her first-person interpretation, delivering a message that really hits home with her audiences.
The audience will see through Maggie’s eyes “the horrors of losing everything you love and taking the only risk you can to survive.” The life of an indentured servant could be good or bad, sometimes harsh, depending upon the will of the master who owned them. Individuals will remember Maggie’s story “long after they would forget a lecture,” said Jarboe, a living history interpreter from Bowling Green, Ky.
Anyone who attends this presentation is in for a real treat and an honest look at a sometimes forgotten piece of American history and culture. By 1790, two years before Kentucky became a state, six per cent of the Kentucky population was composed of white indentured servants. They usually were held as laborers for a fixed period, such as four to seven years, before hopefully being granted their freedom.
This special presentation will be hosted by the Painted Stone Settlers, Inc., a non-profit 501 c3 organization based in Shelbyville, Ky. Their mission is to preserve history through educating the general public about the life, customs and mannerisms of the 18th century along the Kentucky frontier. The Painted Stone Settlers, Inc. are responsible for hosting The Long Run Massacre & Floyd’s Defeat, to be held this year on Sept. 10, 11, 2011.
“Maggie Delaney: Indentured Servant” will be presented on Thursday, April 7 at 7 pm at The Hudson Room at the Shelby County Public Library, 309 Eighth St. (Please enter the basement from Washington St.) This program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, or to register a large group, please call (502) 228-3726, (502) 738-9435, email kathy.cummings@graphicenterprises.net or visit www.PaintedStoneSettlers.org. Presentation content is suitable for middle and high school students.
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