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Salem storyteller brings abolitionist era to life

Storyteller Merrill Kohlhofer, in 19th-century clothing at Hamilton Hall in Salem, presented his ''Voices of Freedom: Memories of Anti-Slavery Days'' program last Sunday at the Salem Visitors Center. Storyteller Merrill Kohlhofer, in 19th-century clothing at Hamilton Hall in Salem, presented his ''Voices of Freedom: Memories of Anti-Slavery Days'' program last Sunday at the Salem Visitors Center. (Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)
By Richard Thompson
Globe Correspondent / February 19, 2009
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For a while, Merrill Kohlhofer considered following in his father's footsteps and becoming an ordained minister.

Like his dad, Leonard, the younger Kohlhofer had developed an engaging speaking style and a voice that could lend drama to an unfolding narrative and help set the mood.

"I grew up in a household where public speaking and storytelling were an important way of communicating, teaching, and affecting people," he recalled last week.

Both men also had something else in common: a shared sense of responsibility for speaking out against racism, from either behind the pulpit in the family's suburban Connecticut hometown or in school classrooms and historical sites across Essex County, where Kohlhofer has been performing as a storyteller for the past two decades.

"Part of his example helped me feel like we were all called upon to do something, whatever we could, to help change the situation," he said about his father's ministry, "and I'm not an organizer, I'm not a community leader. I'm just a good speaker."

Kohlhofer, a 56-year-old Salem resident, became interested in the area's role in the mid-19th century abolitionist movement while researching his "Voices of Freedom: Memories of Anti-Slavery Days" program, which uses the words of witnesses and participants to tell stories of fugitive slaves and local residents during that time.

Dressed in period clothing, Kohlhofer assumes the role of Thomas Spencer, a fictional narrator who joined the cause at an early age and now, in his later life, reflects on the effect certain events had on his value system.

Those stories, which Kohlhofer performed last Sunday at the Salem Visitor Center as part of a Black History Month celebration hosted by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, range from Spencer narrating his first run-in with racism, a mob attack on a local church that was hosting an antislavery group meeting in 1835, to the account of Sarah Elizabeth Baker, a 7-year-old from Danvers who helped look after a fugitive slave and provided shelter at her family's home.

While Kohlhofer acknowledges that he uses some poetic license during his programs, most of his details were gathered through archived newspaper articles and other historical materials.

"I didn't change the events that are reported, but I may add a little bit more," he said.

Those extra anecdotes, like Spencer's reactions to being present for the mob attack at the church, were based on Kohlhofer's memories from growing up during the civil rights movement.

It's a technique that, many in his field say, can help people to understand the personal side of yesteryear.

"I think it brings it alive more when people hear about real stories that are connected to individuals instead of just getting facts and figures, which can also be the boring part of history," said Sheila Cooke-Kayser, chief of interpretation and education at Salem maritime. "Historical storytelling, I've found, appeals to more people in different generations."

Even on his day off, Kohlhofer began channeling Spencer as he sat forward in a sofa chair in his living room last week.

"The thing I remember was this," he said, slipping into character. "When we went marching out of that church, I looked at the men and boys remaining, and how all we were doing inside the church was praying that the colored man in America might enjoy his God-given rights to equality, liberty, and happiness."

Then, his hands upheld, shoulders shrugged and voice dipping low, he asked: "What was wrong with that?"

Winter is generally a busy time of the year, but Kohlhofer's schedule has slimmed down in recent months as the economy has weakened. And New England is a competitive market for storytelling, he said, estimating that more than 1,000 people make their living telling tales.

So last year, he began working as a National Park Service ranger in Salem, a six-month position that picks up again in May, and he has also done consulting work for the Boston African American National Historic Site, composed of the largest area of pre-Civil War black-owned structures in the country.

From playing the part of famed abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to author Henry David Thoreau, Kohlhofer "can take you right back to whatever decade he's portraying," said Ryan McNabb, acting park ranger supervisor at the Beacon Hill landmark.

"It's like he's able to recreate living history," McNabb said.

Thankfully for his wife, Dianne Kohlhofer, it's not something that he continues carrying on around the house.

"Some storytellers, it's like they're on all the time," she said. "Mel's not like that. He definitely needs an audience, the bigger the better, so small family gatherings, I guess they're not quite exciting enough for him."

Richard Thompson can be reached at thompjourn@gmail.com.

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