We are fortunate to meet many wonderful “customers” at Historic Rosedale. Visitors come from all over the United States and the world in fact. Meeting them and hearing their stories of why they are visiting an 1815 Historic home site and former plantation is one of the joys of our everyday job. It’s not often however that we get a visitor testimonial that really touches our hearts. This past Saturday was one of those special moments.
Candace and her family from St. Louis enjoyed their guided house tour given by long-time Historic Interpreter Ishmael Dula so much they took the time to send us a review via our website. In Candace’s own words:
- Hello- My family took the tour today guided by Ishmael Dula and we were so impressed! He was knowledgeable & patient with all our questions. My daughters initially did not want to go on a plantation tour yet Ishmael did a wonderful job balancing the conversation to tell the entire story of Rosedale. Any further history of the slaves who lived & worked this property would be welcomed. It’s important to tell our collective stories! Please pass on our sincere gratitude for the excellent tour!
She had us at Hello! What a wonderful confirmation of our efforts to move beyond the plantation and present equitable, truthful, and compassionate stories of the enslaved and freed African Americans who have lived and worked at Historic Rosedale alongside the history of the ancestral families who owned the property. When we contacted Candace and asked if we could share her review on our website and social media she replied quickly and elaborated on her family’s visit to Historic Rosedale:
- Absolutely! We truly enjoyed our experience and so enjoyed how he weaved stories together to provide a broader picture of the plantation to encompass all aspects of the lives at Rosedale. The tour guests were especially interested in understanding how the slaves contributed to the plantation and Ishmael was a wonderful teacher. Attached is a picture we took with him. (Incidentally I have never taken a picture with a tour guide before but felt compelled, he was that good!)
Thank you, Candace, for taking the time to recognize our work. We are so very lucky to have Ishmael Dula on our Team. Special thanks to “Ish” for his excellent work and loyalty as an Interpreter here at Historic Rosedale.
