Lewisville Road Symposium

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025

2-4 p.m.

Kirby Arts Center at The Lawrenceville School

 

Please join us for a conversation about the history of the Lewisville Road community and its significance.

 

The event is part of a broader preservation and education effort regarding the first African Americans to settle in Lawrence Township, led by the Lawrence Historical Society, Lawrence Neighbors Together, Lawrence Township Public Schools, The Lawrenceville School, and the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville.

 

The Lewisville Road Symposium is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at bit.ly/lewisvillerd. Please note that seating is limited. The Kirby Arts Center is accessible from Lewisville Road, and is noted as #51 on this map of The Lawrenceville School’s campus.

 

The Lewisville Road Symposium will feature:
  • Opening remarks by Lawrence Township Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer and President of the Lawrence Historical Society Joe Ciccone
  • Keynote address by Reverend Dr. Charles F. Boyer of Greater Mt. Zion AME Church in Trenton
  • Screening of “The History of Lewisville Road,” a documentary by Lawrence Township Historian Brooke Hunter, Ph.D.
  • Panel discussion with descendants of the first Lewisville Road residents, moderated by students from Lawrence High School and The Lawrenceville School
  • Performance by Lawrence High School’s award-winning gospel choir
  • Remarks by Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson
  • Opportunity for attendees to share memories through historical photographs and oral history interviews, which will be documented in the township’s archives
  • Closing remarks by Dr. Robyn A. Klim, superintendent of schools for Lawrence Township, and Mr. Stephen S. Murray, head of school at The Lawrenceville School

 

The event is facilitated by a coalition of local nonprofit organizations, including The Lawrenceville School, Lawrence Township Public Schools, Lawrence Neighbors Together, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, and the Lawrence Historical Society.


The Lewisville Road Symposium is part of the coalition’s effort to preserve and promote the history of Lewisville Road, the township’s first African American community. The coalition worked together to commemorate this history with a plaque that was unveiled on March 25, 2025 at the former site of the Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church, which served as a beacon of hope in this vibrant community. The event was attended by state and local government officials, as well as descendents of the first African American families to settle along Lewisville Road.