First Ground

Where does freedom come from? Does it come from within or is it granted from above. Freedom had blossomed for Great Grand Pa Ben, passed down from his great grandpa and the reward for his youthful act of bravery. Did his act of heroism come from duty or something bigger? One simple act of bravery had saved one family and begun a new future history of another. It is the history of this black family having sprung from one simple seed of gratitude. First Ground Thanksgiving 2017 "There is certain sameness at most family Thanksgiving celebrations. The oldest family will usually host the event and depending on the size of the family, there’ll be some families that will always come and then there will be some families that “just can’t make it this year.” However, this year’s Thanksgiving celebration at the First Ground Plantation was going to be extra special. All of the known descendants of Ben Wright and their families had been invited. This year the Thanksgiving celebration at Ben Wright’s home would have a dual purpose. It would be a family reunion as much as it would be a Thanksgiving dinner celebration. Over one hundred people had responded to the special invitations that had been sent out. Word had spread amongst the families that this might be Great Grand Pa Ben’s last Thanksgiving and many wanted to honor the ninety-five-year-old patriarch of the family. Great Grand Pa Ben was after all the great, great grandson of the first owner of the property that had come to be known as “First Ground.” Great Grand Pa Ben’s “First Ground” home was a large, palatial two-story brick house that he frequently referred to as the “new house” even though it had actually been built in the 1920’s. It was no surprise that the first house that his great, great grandfather Ben and his great, great, grandmother Lou had built was still standing down on the back side of the property."With one act of life-saving bravery, history was altered forever and the lives of one hundred people were able to enjoy thehistory of Thanksgiving for one very large and proud black family and the very First Ground it ever owned. Read more