In 2023, Log Cabin Village honored the lives of two individuals enslaved at the Port Sullivan Plantation Home that today serves as the Village’s main entrance and museum store. During this webinar, Village staff Rena Lawrence and Shae Nawoj, will share the research that led to the installation of two memorial Stopping Stones and the ways such efforts can be used to tell the stories of our enslaved ancestors in a meaningful and relevant way.
Rena Lawrence currently serves as Historic Site Supervisor for Log Cabin Village and the Van Zandt Cottage in Fort Worth, Texas. In this position, Ms. Lawrence manages all aspects of site operations. In addition, she oversees museum store operations, marketing/social media, and serves as a liaison to two support groups: the Log Cabin Heritage Foundation and the Van Zandt Cottage Friends, Inc. Rena holds a MA degree in Museum Studies (minor in Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a BA Degree in History (minors in Psychology and Classical Studies) from Truman State University (Kirksville, MO), and has more than 27 years in the field.
Shae Nawoj works as the Assistant Historic Site Supervisor at Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth. She has worked in the museum field at institutions as varied as Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Gettysburg National Military Park, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Her background includes studies in public history with an emphasis on 19th-century American history and memory. She holds a BA in History from Sam Houston State University and an MA in Historical Studies with an emphasis in public history from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. At Log Cabin Village she works as part of a team on a mission to set the record straight about the complexities of life on the Texas frontier.
