Marietta College and the Office of Student Connections and Outreach will welcome local historian and executive director of The Castle Museum, Scott Britton, to The Gathering Place at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 30, for a public lecture, “But Not for My Children: The Holland Brothers’ Remarkable Journey from Enslavement.”
The lecture will examine Britton’s original research on the lives of Milton, William, and James Holland. Born to a prominent politician, Bird Holland, and an enslaved woman on the Spearman Holland plantation in Texas, the three brothers were sent to Athens County, Ohio, to be educated at the Albany Manual Labor Academy, a school for free Black children.
The program invites the campus and local community to engage with the complex history surrounding the Holland family and their legacy, exploring themes of identity and education. Britton’s research highlights how local sites and institutions intersect with broader stories from a divided period in American history. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how stories like the Holland brothers’ continue to shape conversations around history, legacy, and opportunity today.
“This lecture reflects Marietta College’s commitment to engaging our campus and community in meaningful dialogue about the complexities of our shared history. By understanding our local history, we gain deeper insight into how stories like the Holland brothers’ connect to broader national narratives and continue to shape conversations around identity, education, and opportunity. It is through this awareness that we strengthen our sense of community and our responsibility to learn from the past,” said Tony Mayle, associate dean of students and director of Student Connections and Outreach.
Britton frequently speaks on topics related to the Civil War and multicultural history in southeastern Ohio. In his role at The Castle Museum, he leads educational programming for students and adults, including historic walking tours of Marietta. A graduate of Penn State University, Britton is a past commander of the General Benjamin D. Fearing Camp #2 Sons of Union Veterans, a past president of the Washington County Historical Society, and a co-founder of the Civil War Roundtable of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, visit marietta.edu/event/holland-brothers.