1 00:03:53,066 --> 00:03:53,499 DOWN. 2 00:03:53,566 --> 00:03:59,205 PARENTS COULD BE JAILED IF THEY REFUSED TO HAND THEIR CHILDREN OVER. WHEN KIDS ARRIVED AT THEIR 3 00:03:59,272 --> 00:04:04,877 SCHOOLS, THEIR TRADITIONAL LONG HAIR WAS SHAVED OFF. IF THEY TRIED TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE, THEY WERE OFTEN 4 00:04:04,944 --> 00:04:10,750 PUNISHED. >> THEY PUT ME IN A DARK ROOM LIKE THAT. THEY SHUT THE DOOR. 5 00:04:10,817 --> 00:04:18,358 THEN THEY TAKE OFF THE LIGHT. ALL I HAD TO LOOK THROUGH WAS THIS MUCH LIGHT, LIKE I WAS IN JAIL. 6 00:04:18,424 --> 00:04:26,265 >> SHE SAYS THE ABUSE MANY KIDS IN MUSKOWEKWAN SUFFERED FROM THE CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND NUNS WASN'T JUST PHYSICAL. 7 00:04:26,332 --> 00:04:40,413 >> FATHER JOYAL WAS FOND LG THE GIRLS HERE. THIS USED TO BE A SICK BAY. THEY USED TO HAVE A BED HERE. 8 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,818 >> AND HE WOULD TAKE GIRLS INTO THE BED. >> YES. HE TOOK MY COUSIN. 9 00:04:45,885 --> 00:04:53,259 >> HOW OLD WAS SHE? >> SHE WAS ONLY EIGHT. I GREW UP A VERY, VERY MEAN WOMAN BECAUSE OF ALL WHAT 10 00:04:53,326 --> 00:04:57,130 HAPPENED TO ME. >> YOU LEARNED THAT HERE, YOU THINK. >> YEAH. 11 00:04:57,196 --> 00:05:05,071 >> SHE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE. MORE THAN 150,000 CHILDREN WERE SENT TO RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, WHICH CANADA'S FIRST PRIME 12 00:05:05,138 --> 00:05:13,446 MINISTER SUPPORTED TO, IN HIS WORDS, SEVER CHILDREN FROM THE TRIBE AND CIVILIZE THEM. FOR MUCH OF THE 20th CENTURY, 13 00:05:13,513 --> 00:05:22,355 THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED THAT MISSION. THIS REPORT AIRED IN 1955. >> THEY LEARN NOT ONLY GAMES AND 14 00:05:22,422 --> 00:05:29,896 TRADITIONS, SUCH AS THE CELEBRATION OF SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY, BUT THE MASTERY OF WORDS. >> THE IDEA FOR THE SCHOOLS CAME 15 00:05:29,962 --> 00:05:37,303 IN PART FROM THE UNITED STATES. IN 1879, THE CARLISLE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OPENED IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE THIS PHOTO 16 00:05:37,370 --> 00:05:42,141 WAS TAKEN OF NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED. THIS IS THEM FOUR MONTHS LATER. 17 00:05:42,208 --> 00:05:50,917 THE SCHOOL'S MOTTO WAS, KILL THE INDIAN, SAVE THE MAN. >> CONSEQUENTLY, OURS WAS, KILL THE INDIAN IN THE CHILD. 18 00:05:50,983 --> 00:05:56,556 >> KILL THE INDIAN IN THE CHILD? >> MM-HM. >> THAT WAS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE HERE IN CANADA? 19 00:05:56,622 --> 00:06:06,065 >> YEAH. >> CHIEF WILTON LITTLECHILD, WHO IS CREE, WAS SIX YEARS OLD, WHEN HE WAS TAKEN TO THIS RESIDENTIAL 20 00:06:06,132 --> 00:06:11,838 SCHOOL IN ALBERTA. THEN, HE SAYS, HE WAS GIVEN A NEW NAME. >> MY NAME WAS NUMBER 65 FOR ALL 21 00:06:11,904 --> 00:06:16,642 THOSE YEARS. >> JUST A NUMBER? >> JUST A NUMBER, YEAH. 65, PICK THAT UP, STUPID. 22 00:06:16,709 --> 00:06:25,952 OR 65, WHY DID YOU DO THAT, IDIOT? >> WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE AT SIX YEARS OLD TO BE CALLED A NUMBER? 23 00:06:26,018 --> 00:06:30,523 >> I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE TRAUMA BEGINS. NOT JUST PHYSICAL ABUSE. PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE, SPIRITUAL 24 00:06:30,590 --> 00:06:34,594 ABUSE, AND WORST OF ALL, SEXUAL ABUSE. >> YOU WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED? >> YES. 25 00:06:34,660 --> 00:06:46,305 I THINK THAT'S WHERE MY ANGER BEGAN, AS A YOUNG BOY. >> CHIEF LITTLECHILD SAYS HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE SOME OF THAT ANGER 26 00:06:46,372 --> 00:06:55,915 OUT ON THE SCHOOL'S HOCKEY RINK. HE WON A SCHOLARSHIP TO UNIVERSITY AND GRADUATED, EVENTUALLY GOING ON TO A 27 00:06:55,982 --> 00:07:01,320 DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN LAW. BUT HIS STORY IS THE EXCEPTION. >> THEY DIDN'T KILL MY SPIRIT, SO I'M STILL CREE. 28 00:07:01,387 --> 00:07:09,962 I'M STILL WHO I AM. I'M NOT 65. MY NAME IS -- THEY DIDN'T KILL MY SPIRIT. 29 00:07:10,029 --> 00:07:18,771 >> IN 2008, AFTER THOUSANDS OF SCHOOL SURVIVORS FILED LAWSUITS, THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT FORMALLY APOLL 30 00:07:18,838 --> 00:07:28,147 APOLOGIZED FOR ITS POLICIES. IT ALSO SET UP A $1.9 BILLION COMPENSATION FUND, AND ESTABLISHED A TRUTH AND 31 00:07:28,214 --> 00:07:35,388 RECONCILIATION COMMISSION THAT CHIEF LITTLECHILD HELPED LEAD. FOR SIX YEARS, THE COMMISSION HEARD TESTIMONY FROM SURVIVORS 32 00:07:35,454 --> 00:07:41,527 ACROSS THE COUNTRY. >> AND YOU PUT ME UNDER WATER, SLAPPING ME AND HITTING ME, SLAPPING ME AND HITTING ME AND 33 00:07:41,594 --> 00:07:50,536 PUNCHING ME AND PUNCHING ME AND HOLDING ME UNDER WATER, PULLING MY HAIR. AND I THOUGHT, GOD, SHE'S GOING 34 00:07:50,603 --> 00:08:01,714 TO KILL ME. I'M GOING TO DIE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. >> WE, AS LITTLE BOYS AND LITTLE 35 00:08:01,781 --> 00:08:13,292 GIRLS, WE LOST OUR INNOCENCE. >> IN 2015, THE COMMISSION CONCLUDED WHAT HAPPENED WAS CULTURAL GENOCIDE. 36 00:08:13,359 --> 00:08:20,066 IT IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 3,000 CHILDREN WHO DIED FROM DISEASE DUE TO OVERCROWDING, MALNUTRITION, AND POOR 37 00:08:20,132 --> 00:08:28,207 SANITATION, OR DIED AFTER BEING ABUSED OR TRYING TO RUN AWAY. A GOVERNMENT STUDY IN 1909 FOUND THE DEATH RATE IN SOME SCHOOLS 38 00:08:28,274 --> 00:08:33,980 WAS AS HIGH AS 20 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. MOST SCHOOLS HAD THEIR OWN CEMETERIES. 39 00:08:34,046 --> 00:08:39,852 AND SOMETIMES, WHEN CHILDREN DIED, THEIR PARENTS WERE NEVER INFORMED. >> IT'S REALLY TRAUMATIC FOR 40 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:49,228 THOSE FAMILIES WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR CHILD OR RELATIVE IN THE SCHOOLS. >> WHY WEREN'T KIDS WHO DIED AT 41 00:08:49,295 --> 00:08:56,235 THE SCHOOLS, WHY WEREN'T THEY SENT HOME? >> TO SAVE MONEY. >> ARCHAEOLOGISTS DETECTED WHAT 42 00:08:56,302 --> 00:09:17,323 THEY SAID COULD BE 200 UNMARKED GRAVES AT THIS SCHOOL IN CAM CAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA. THERE WAS ONCE A CATHOLIC 43 00:09:17,390 --> 00:09:21,827 CEMETERY HERE, BUT THE HEADSTONES WERE BULLDOZED IN THE 1960s BY A PRIEST AFTER A DISPUTE WITH THE FORMER CHIEF. 44 00:09:21,894 --> 00:09:28,234 >> AND WHAT WERE THESE LISTS FOR? >> A SMALL TEAM OF RESEARCHERS HAS BEEN TRYING TO DISCOVER THE 45 00:09:28,301 --> 00:09:33,906 NAMES OF THOSE CHILDREN BURIED HERE. BUT FOR DECADES, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN 46 00:09:33,973 --> 00:09:40,746 RELUCTANT TO SHARE THEIR RECORDS. >> DO YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE ALL CHILDREN? 47 00:09:40,813 --> 00:09:47,420 >> WE CAN'T VERIFY HOW MUCH ARE CHILDREN, BUT BASED ON THE RESEARCH WE'RE DOING, A LOT OF THEM WERE CHILDREN THAT WERE 48 00:09:47,486 --> 00:09:56,896 FORCED TO GO TO THE MARYBEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL AND DIED THERE. >> THE DISCOVERIES OF THE GRAVES 49 00:09:56,963 --> 00:10:06,739 OPENED DEEP WOUNDS. MORE THAN A DOZEN CHURCHES HAVE BEEN VANDALIZED OR DESTROYED, AND THOUSANDS HAVE MARCHED, 50 00:10:06,806 --> 00:10:13,446 DEMANDING THE POPE APOLOGIZE AND THE CHURCHES OPEN ARCHIVES TO HELP IDENTIFY ANY MISSING CHILDREN. 51 00:10:13,512 --> 00:10:19,452 INDIGENOUS INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE BEGUN CONDUCTING THEIR OWN SEARCHES 52 00:10:19,518 --> 00:10:29,261 USING GROUND PENETRATING RADAR. ARCHAEOLOGIST KISHA SUPERNANT AND TERRY CLARK SAY 35 UNMARKED GRAVES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AT 53 00:10:29,328 --> 00:10:32,832 THE MUSKOWEKWAN SCHOOL. >> THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON THERE. THAT'S NOT NATURAL. 54 00:10:32,898 --> 00:10:39,472 >> WE WERE THERE IN OCTOBER 2021, THEY FOUND WHAT APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER. ACCORDING TO SURVIVOR ACCOUNTS, 55 00:10:39,538 --> 00:10:48,347 CHILDREN SOMETIMES HAD TO DIG THEIR CLASSMATES' GRAVES. >> THE PRIESTS OR THE SCHOOL OFFICIALS WOULD FORCE THE KIDS 56 00:10:48,414 --> 00:10:55,554 TO DIG OTHER CHILDREN'S GRAVES? >> YEAH, CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING 10 OR 11 AND DIGGING A GRAVE FOR YOUR CLASSMATE, WHAT THAT MUST 57 00:10:55,621 --> 00:11:05,031 HAVE BEEN LIKE? >> KISHA SUPERNANT SAYS THE SEARCH FOR UNMARKED GRAVES WILL CONTINUE FOR YEARS. 58 00:11:05,097 --> 00:11:10,403 >> THIS IS VERY EMOTIONAL WORK. IT'S DEVASTATING WORK. IT'S HEARTBREAKING FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. 59 00:11:10,469 --> 00:11:15,341 >> YOU FEEL THAT TOO. >> I DO. OUR COMMUNITIES STILL FEEL THE IMPACTS OF THESE INSTITUTIONS IN 60 00:11:15,408 --> 00:11:21,547 OUR EVERYDAY LIVES. WE'RE WAY OVERREPRESENTED IN CHILD WELFARE AND ADOPTIONS AND FOSTER CARE. 61 00:11:21,614 --> 00:11:26,485 WE'RE WAY OVERREPRESENTED IN THE PRISONS. YOU CAN DRAW A DIRECT LINE WITH THAT TO THESE PLACES. 62 00:11:26,552 --> 00:11:34,427 AND THE PAIN OF THAT THAT HAS BEEN PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. >> I STARTED SCHOOL HERE IN 63 00:11:34,493 --> 00:11:41,467 1958. >> ED BITTERNOSE, WHO'S CREE, UNDERSTANDS THAT PAIN. HE WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD WHEN HE 64 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:46,305 WAS TAKEN TO THE MUSKOWEKWAN SCHOOL. HIS PARENTS LIVED WITHIN SIGHT OF THE SCHOOL. 65 00:11:46,372 --> 00:11:52,845 AND WHEN HE TRIED TO RUN AWAY, HE SAYS THE PRIEST FORCED HIM TO KNEEL ON A BROOM HANDLE FOR THREE DAYS. 66 00:11:52,912 --> 00:12:02,655 >> I WOULD SIT HERE AND WONDER WHY I COULDN'T BE HOME. >> THAT MUST HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING. 67 00:12:02,721 --> 00:12:08,294 >> YEAH. >> IT WASN'T ONLY ADULTS HE FEARED. SOME STUDENTS THEMSELVES, 68 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:19,038 VICTIMS OF ABUSE, PREYED ON OTHER CHILDREN. >> WERE YOU ABUSED HERE? >> YEP, ACTUALLY IN THIS ROOM 69 00:12:19,105 --> 00:12:27,546 HERE BY ONE OF THE BOYS. >> IN THIS VERY ROOM? >> THIS VERY AREA HERE. >> LATER, HE SAYS HE WAS ALSO 70 00:12:27,613 --> 00:12:34,320 SEXUALLY MOLESTED BY A SON. WHEN HE LEFT SCHOOL, HE WAS RUDDERLESS AND VIOLENT AND TURNED TO ALCOHOL. 71 00:12:34,386 --> 00:12:40,025 WHEN HE GOT MARRIED, HE SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SHOW AFFECTION. >> YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LOVE 72 00:12:40,092 --> 00:12:45,731 WAS? >> NO, NO. I NEVER FELT IT HERE. I DIDN'T START SAYING I LOVED 73 00:12:45,798 --> 00:12:51,003 HER UNTIL WE WERE MARRIED ABOUT 40 YEARS. AND THEN I WAS VERY CAREFUL HOW I SAID IT. 74 00:12:51,070 --> 00:12:59,578 >> YOU DIDN'T SAY TO YOUR WIFE FOR 40 YEARS THAT YOU LOVED HER? >> MM-HM, YEAH. >> HE SAYS HIS LIFE CHANGED WHEN 75 00:12:59,645 --> 00:13:06,919 HE BEGAN REDISCOVERING HIS CREE CULTURE, RAISING BUFFALO AND SHARING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITH CHILDREN BROUGHT HEALING 76 00:13:06,986 --> 00:13:14,393 AND FINALLY AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD LOVE. >> YOU CAN SAY THAT NOW? >> I CAN SAY THAT NOW. 77 00:13:14,460 --> 00:13:23,736 AND IT FEELS GOOD. I STILL JOKE WITH MY WIFE ABOUT THAT, DON'T SAY THAT TOO LOUD. >> SO, YOU CAN SAY IT. 78 00:13:23,802 --> 00:13:27,473 YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO SAY IT TOO LOUD. >> YES. UH-HUH. 79 00:13:27,540 --> 00:13:33,245 >> YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING. >> THAT'S WHAT SHE SAYS. >> AS FOR LEONA WOLF, HER LIFE 80 00:13:33,312 --> 00:13:40,419 AND THE LIVES OF HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY VIOLENCE AND SUBSTANCE USE. 81 00:13:40,486 --> 00:13:45,691 INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA, SHE SAYS THAT BEGAN THE DAY HER OWN MOTHER WAS SENT TO SCHOOL AT MUSKOWEKWAN. 82 00:13:45,758 --> 00:13:51,931 >> DID YOU SEE THE IMPACT OF THIS PLACE ON YOUR MOM? >> YEAH. >> HOW? 83 00:13:51,997 --> 00:13:58,871 >> BY DRINKING A LOT, BEING MEAN TO ME. AND IT IMPACT US, ME AND MY BROTHER AND MY SIBLINGS. 84 00:13:58,938 --> 00:14:06,312 >> WHAT WAS DONE TO HER, SHE PASSED ON TO YOU. >> TO ME. >> AND WHAT WAS DONE TO YOU AND 85 00:14:06,378 --> 00:14:18,324 OTHERS HERE -- >> WAS PASSED ON TO MY CHILDREN. THIS IS WHY SOMETIMES I GO INTO MY RAGE OF ANGER AND I CRY. 86 00:14:18,390 --> 00:14:24,463 BECAUSE IT WAS DONE TO ALL OF US. BUT IT'S GOING TO STOP NOW. YOU KNOW? 87 00:14:24,530 --> 00:14:34,640 IT IS. >> YOU BELIEVE THAT? >> I'M BREAKING THE CYCLE WITH MY GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. 88 00:14:34,707 --> 00:14:42,915 ♪ HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE ♪ >> LEONA WOLF HAS RETURNED TO HER TRADITIONS AS WELL. WALKING THE HALLS OF 89 00:14:42,982 --> 00:14:55,761 MUSKOWEKWAN, SHE BEGAN TO SING "HAIL MARY," A PRAYER SHE WAS FORCED TO LEARN HERE LONG AGO. NOW, SHE SINGS IT HER OWN WAY. 90 00:14:55,828 --> 00:15:03,869 ♪ HEY-A, HEY-A ♪ >> THAT'S NOW HOW YOU SANG IT HERE WHILE YOU WERE IN SCHOOL HERE. 91 00:15:03,936 --> 00:15:10,309 >> NOPE. >> YOU MADE PEACE WITH THE VIRGIN MARY SINGING THAT SONG. >> YEAH, AND I MADE PEACE WITH 92 00:15:10,376 --> 00:15:17,916 MYSELF. >>> SINCE OUR STORY FIRST AIRED, POPE FRANCIS TRAVELLED TO CANADA FOR WHAT HE CALLED A PILGRIMAGE. 93 00:15:17,983 --> 00:15:34,867 HE APOLOGIZED AND BEGGED FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THE DEPLORABLE ABUSES INDIGENOUS PEOPLE SUFFERED IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS. 94 00:15:34,933 --> 00:15:42,741 JUST OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAT A GRAND WHITE HOUSE CALLED SHARSWOOD, SILENTLY HOLDING SECRETS FROM THE PAST, WAITING 95 00:15:42,808 --> 00:15:49,748 FOR A NEW OWNER TO UNCOVER THEM. SOUNDS LIKE THE OPENING LINE OF A SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL. BUT AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN MAY 96 00:15:49,815 --> 00:16:00,359 OF LAST YEAR, THIS STORY IS ABOUT A REAL FAMILY AND A REAL HOUSE. THIS COUNTRY'S HISTORY, AND A 97 00:16:00,426 --> 00:16:07,766 MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF AT THE CENTER OF FAR MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR. THE MAN IS FRED MILLER, A 98 00:16:07,833 --> 00:16:14,773 57-YEAR-OLD AIR FORCE VETERAN WHO WAS LOOKING TO BUY PROPERTY IN HIS VIRGINIA HOMETOWN FOR HIS LARGE █EXTENDED FAMILY'S FREQUET 99 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:21,013 GET TOGETHERS. HE HAD NEVER HEARD THE NAME, SHARSWOOD, AND YET THIS OLD HOUSE WOULD LEAD HIM ON A 100 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:30,222 JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY, WITH SURPRISES AND REVELATIONS THAT SEEMED BOTH IMPOSSIBLE AND INEVITABLE ALL AT ONCE. 101 00:16:30,289 --> 00:16:45,471 THESE ARE THE GENTLE HILLS OF VIRGINIA, ONCE PRODUCED MORE TOBACCO THAN ANY COUNTY IN THE STATE. 102 00:16:45,537 --> 00:16:54,279 FRED MILLER GREW UP HERE IN A CLOSE FAMILY THAT LIKES GETTING TOGETHER REGULARLY FOR BIRTHDAYS, FISH FRIES, AND AS 103 00:16:54,346 --> 00:17:02,421 HIS COUSIN ADAM MILLER TOLD US, JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. >> WE PLAY GAMES, A LOT OF FOOD COMPETITIONS. 104 00:17:02,488 --> 00:17:12,464 >> I HEAR THE FOOD IS MAINLY CAKE. >> TOO MANY CAKES. >> FRED'S COUSIN, TONYA MILLER 105 00:17:12,531 --> 00:17:22,341 POPE, AND HIS SISTER, DEBRA COLES, TOLD US IT'S A BIG FAMILY. FRED'S MOTHER BETTY AND HIS AUNT 106 00:17:22,408 --> 00:17:31,517 BRENDA WERE TWO OF 11. >> HOW MANY COUSINS? >> HUNDREDS. >> SO, NO WONDER FRED NEEDED TO 107 00:17:31,583 --> 00:17:36,588 FIND A PLACE. >> EXACTLY. >> FRED LIVES IN CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE WORKS AS A CIVIL 108 00:17:36,655 --> 00:17:42,327 ENGINEER FOR THE AIR FORCE. BUT HE VISITS THE FAMILY IN VIRGINIA OFTEN. >> ONE DAY OUT OF THE BLUE, MY 109 00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:47,466 SISTER TOLD ME ABOUT A BIG HOUSE UP THE ROAD FOR SALE. >> THIS SISTER RIGHT HERE? >> YEAH. 110 00:17:47,533 --> 00:17:58,177 >> KAREN DIXON, FRED'S BABY SISTER, HAD SPOTTED IT. >> ME AND MY MOM WAS RIDING PAST THE HOUSE, AND I SAW THE FOR 111 00:17:58,243 --> 00:18:03,582 SALE SIGN. I SAID, OH, MY GOODNESS, WE HAVE TO GET THIS HOUSE. I SAID, FRED, THIS HOUSE IS FOR 112 00:18:03,649 --> 00:18:08,120 SALE. HE SAID, WHAT HOUSE? I SAID, YOU KNOW THE HOUSE. THE SCARY HOUSE, I CALL IT. 113 00:18:08,187 --> 00:18:14,927 >> THE SCARY HOUSE WAS LESS THAN A MILE UP THE ROAD FROM THEIR MOM'S. THEY PASSED IT EVERY DAY AS KIDS 114 00:18:14,993 --> 00:18:23,402 ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL. >> WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SHARS WOOD? >> ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. 115 00:18:23,469 --> 00:18:29,942 >> JUST KNEW IT WAS A BIG HOUSE. >> HE WAS DEBATING, SHOULD WE PUT IN A BID FOR IT? I SAID, YES, ABSOLUTELY. 116 00:18:30,008 --> 00:18:34,179 LET'S DO IT. >> DID SHE TWIST YOUR ARM? >> TOOK ALL THE TWISTING SHE COULD DO. 117 00:18:34,246 --> 00:18:42,454 I DIDN'T WANT TO BUY IT. >> BUT THINKING HIS BID WOULD BE REJECTED ANYWAY, HE MADE AN OFFER OF JUST ABOVE THE $220,000 118 00:18:42,521 --> 00:18:47,292 ASKING PRICE. >> WHY DID YOU THINK THEY WEREN'T GOING TO ACCEPT THE OFFER? 119 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:54,800 >> WELL, I MEAN, INITIALLY TO ME I THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE I WAS BLACK, THEY WOULD NEVER -- SURELY THEY WOULD NEVER SALE 120 00:18:54,867 --> 00:18:59,972 THIS HOUSE TO SOMEBODY THAT'S BLACK. SO, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO OWN THIS THING, I THOUGHT IT WOULD 121 00:19:00,038 --> 00:19:05,244 NEVER HAPPEN IN A MILLION YEARS. >> SO GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? A MILLION YEARS. >> A MILLION YEARS. 122 00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:15,153 >> YES, YES, ABSOLUTELY. >> SO, IN MAY OF 2020, FRED MILLER PURCHASED THE FULLY FURNISHED HOUSE PLUS TEN AND A 123 00:19:15,220 --> 00:19:23,762 HALF ACRES OF LAND FROM A FAMILY CALLED THE THOMPSONS, WHO HAD OWNED IT SINCE 1917. >> FIRST TIME I DROVE UP TO THE 124 00:19:23,829 --> 00:19:30,636 PLACE. ALL I COULD DO WAS STOP AT THE EDGE OF THE ROAD AND JUST LOOK UP IN AMAZEMENT LIKE, WOW, THIS 125 00:19:30,702 --> 00:19:34,973 IS MINE. >> THIS IS AN ORIGINAL ROOM FROM THE 1800s. >> KAREN SAYS SHE GOT OBSESSED 126 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:43,815 WITH THE HOUSE, SPENDING NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS ONLINE RESEARCHING ITS SECRETS. >> HIDING SPOTS THEY SAY FROM 127 00:19:43,882 --> 00:19:48,921 THE CIVIL WAR. SO, THEY WOULD HIDE THEIR VALUABLES. >> SECRET HIDING SPOTS. 128 00:19:48,987 --> 00:19:57,529 >> YES, SECRET HIDING SPOTS. >> SHE DISCOVERED THE HOUSE HAD BEEN BUILT AROUND 1850 IN THE GOTHIC REVIVAL STYLE BY A 129 00:19:57,596 --> 00:20:03,335 WELL-KNOWN NEW YORK ARCHITECT. AND SHE LEARNED AND TOLD HER FAMILY THAT ITS NAME HAD BEEN SHARSWOOD. 130 00:20:03,402 --> 00:20:09,341 >> EVERY DAY SHE WAS CALLING ME WITH NEW INFORMATION. I'M LIKE, OH, MY GOODNESS, OKAY. RELAX. 131 00:20:09,408 --> 00:20:14,146 >> ARE YOU EXAGGERATING? >> NO, I'M NOT EXAGGERATING AT ALL. >> BUT THEN KAREN TURNED UP 132 00:20:14,212 --> 00:20:24,923 SOMETHING THAT STUNNED HER. IN THE 1800s, SHARSWOOD HAD BEEN THE SEAT OF A MAJOR 1,300 ACRE PLANTATION, ONE OF THE LARGER 133 00:20:24,990 --> 00:20:32,097 ONES IN THE COUNTY. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK OF YOU OWNING A PLANTATION? >> I WAS A LITTLE BIT -- LITTLE 134 00:20:32,164 --> 00:20:40,939 SHOCKED BY IT, I WOULD SAY, BECAUSE I JUST WANTED SOMEWHERE TO HAVE FAMILY GATHERINGS. >> WHEN I FOUND OUT IT WAS A 135 00:20:41,006 --> 00:20:47,679 PLANTATION, AND I'M LIKE, FRED JUST OWNED A PLANTATION. >> I WAS LIKE, WE OWN IT NOW. WHAT WE GONE DO? 136 00:20:47,746 --> 00:20:53,085 >> SO, IT WAS JUST A FEELING OF POWER. IT WAS JUST A POWERFUL FEELING. >> IT IS. 137 00:20:53,151 --> 00:21:01,860 >> POWERFUL. BUT OF COURSE, PLANTATION IMPLIES SLAVERY. AND BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, THE 138 00:21:01,927 --> 00:21:08,433 COUNTY HELD MORE THAN 14,000 ENSLAVED PEOPLE. THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, JUST UNDER 500,000. 139 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:16,041 >> I SAID, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THIS IS? THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE. >> DEXTER MILLER, ONE OF FRED 140 00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:25,250 AND KAREN'S MANY SECOND COUSINS, KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT SHARSWOOD BECAUSE YEARS AGO, HE'D BEEN COWORKERS WITH BILL THOMPSON, 141 00:21:25,317 --> 00:21:31,390 WHOSE FAMILY THEN OWNED IT. BILL JOINED US FOR A CONVERSATION ON WHAT USED TO BE HIS CHILDHOOD PORCH. 142 00:21:31,456 --> 00:21:38,330 >> YOU GREW UP IN THIS HOUSE? >> I DID. THIS WAS MY HOME. >> HE INHERITED MUCH OF THE 143 00:21:38,397 --> 00:21:44,436 FARMLAND AND STILL LIVES UP THE ROAD. HIS SISTER INHERITED THE HOUSE AND SOLD IT TO FRED. 144 00:21:44,503 --> 00:21:52,778 >> YOU KNOW, WHEN FRED WAS BUYING THE HOUSE, HE DID NOT THINK THAT THE HOUSE WOULD BE SOLD TO A BLACK PERSON. 145 00:21:52,844 --> 00:22:01,053 >> WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT, FRED? >> PROBABLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN RURAL VIRGINIA, RIGHT? 146 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:09,995 >> WELL, THIS IS TRUE. >> FOR YEARS, DEXTER AND ANOTHER SECOND COUSIN, SONYA WOMACK MIRANDA, HAD BEEN TRYING TO 147 00:22:10,062 --> 00:22:16,168 PIECE TOGETHER THE MILLER FAMILY'S ORIGINS, A NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TASK FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS BECAUSE RECORDS ARE 148 00:22:16,234 --> 00:22:23,442 HARD TO COME BY, ESPECIALLY BEFORE 1865. >> IT REALLY WAS A HOBBY. >> IT WAS ADDICTIVE. 149 00:22:23,508 --> 00:22:27,979 IT WAS ADDICTIVE. IT REALLY WAS. >> WE WERE LIKE PRIVATE EYES. >> YEAH. 150 00:22:28,046 --> 00:22:36,221 >> THEY'D BEEN ABLE TO TRACE THE WHOLE MILLER CLAN BACK TO ONE WOMAN. >> IT'S DEXTER'S GREAT 151 00:22:36,288 --> 00:22:40,492 GRANDMOTHER. IT'S MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH. >> SARAH MILLER. 152 00:22:40,559 --> 00:22:45,263 >> YES. >> THEY HAD FOUND A PICTURE OF SARAH MILLER. >> THIS IS SARAH RIGHT HERE. 153 00:22:45,330 --> 00:22:54,773 >> AND THEY'D GOTTEN HOLD OF HER DEATH CERTIFICATE, WHICH SHOWED THAT SHE'D BEEN BORN IN PITTS VAIN I CAN'T COUNTY IN 1868, 154 00:22:54,840 --> 00:23:01,246 JUST THREE YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR. AND THEY FOUND AN EVEN BETTER RESOURCE, ONE OF THEIR OLDEST 155 00:23:01,313 --> 00:23:15,026 LIVING RELATIVES, A BELOVED FORMER SCHOOLTEACHER NAMED MARIANNE KEYS. MS. KEYS RECENTLY TURNED 90. 156 00:23:15,093 --> 00:23:20,599 >> SARAH MILLER WAS THE MATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY. >> YES, SHE WAS. >> DID YOU KNOW HER? 157 00:23:20,665 --> 00:23:25,771 >> YES, I DID. >> TELL US ABOUT HER. >> SHE WOULD ALWAYS BE OUT THERE WITH A BROOM IN HER HAND AND SHE 158 00:23:25,837 --> 00:23:33,745 WOULD BE WAITING FOR US. >> SHE REMEMBERS HER GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH, AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. 159 00:23:33,812 --> 00:23:40,886 >> WHAT SHE WANTED YOU TO KNOW, YOU WERE GOING TO KNOW IT. >> WAS SHE PERSNICKETY, AS THEY SAY? 160 00:23:40,952 --> 00:23:43,355 >> YES. >> DIFFICULT? >> YES. >> STERN? 161 00:23:43,421 --> 00:23:47,058 >> VERY. SHE DIDN'T PLAY. SHE DIDN'T PLAY. BUT WE LOVED HER. 162 00:23:47,125 --> 00:23:54,800 >> BUT THAT'S WHERE MS. KEYES KNOWLEDGE OF MILLER FAMILY HISTORY ENDED. SHE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT 163 00:23:54,866 --> 00:23:59,771 THE GENERATIONS BEFORE EMANCIPATION. >> WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP, WHAT DID YOU LEARN OR HEAR FROM 164 00:23:59,838 --> 00:24:03,575 YOUR PARENTS ABOUT SLAVERY? >> NOTHING. >> NOTHING? >> NOTHING. 165 00:24:03,642 --> 00:24:08,613 THEY DID NOT TALK ABOUT IT. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY WERE AFRAID, WHETHER IT WAS TOO MISERABLE OR PAINFUL OR THEY 166 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:15,921 WANTED TO FORGET IT. I DON'T KNOW. BUT THEY DID NOT TALK TO US ABOUT IT AT ALL. 167 00:24:15,987 --> 00:24:21,793 AND WE DIDN'T ASK THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. >> WHY NOT. >> WE WERE AFRAID TO. 168 00:24:21,860 --> 00:24:30,335 >> WE HEARD THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM MEMBERS OF THE MILLER FAMILY. >> SLAVERY WASN'T MENTIONED AT 169 00:24:30,402 --> 00:24:38,143 ALL. >> WAS THERE ALMOST A CODE, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT SLAVERY, SO NOBODY DID? 170 00:24:38,210 --> 00:24:45,517 >> IT WAS SOMETHING THAT EVERY BLACK PERSON KNEW YOU DIDN'T TALK ABOUT. THE PARENTS TELL YOU NOT TO 171 00:24:45,584 --> 00:24:54,593 DISCUSS GROWN PEOPLE BUSINESS. THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL YOU. THE FIRST TIME SLAVERY WAS DISCUSSED WAS I GUESS IN THE 172 00:24:54,659 --> 00:25:01,333 '70s WHEN "ROOTS" CAME ABOUT. >> THAT'S THE FIRST TIME? WHEN "ROOTS" WAS ON TELEVISION? DID YOU READ ABOUT IT IN SCHOOL? 173 00:25:01,399 --> 00:25:07,072 >> NOT MUCH. >> HIS FAMILY ALSO REMEMBERS "ROOTS" AS PIVOTAL. >> YES. 174 00:25:07,138 --> 00:25:13,178 >> I THINK THAT'S -- >> THAT'S WHEN WE ALL -- >> THAT WAS AN EYE OPENER. >> EVEN AFTER "ROOTS," YOU 175 00:25:13,245 --> 00:25:16,948 DIDN'T GO AND SAY, WHAT ABOUT OUR FAMILY? >> NO. >> NOT AT ALL. 176 00:25:17,015 --> 00:25:21,786 >> WHAT HELD YOU BACK? >> I JUST DIDN'T THINK THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT? >> DIDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW? 177 00:25:21,853 --> 00:25:30,896 >> I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE KNOWN. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE KNOWN. >> FRED'S PURCHASE OF SHARSWOOD WAS ABOUT TO GIVE HIM A CRASH 178 00:25:30,962 --> 00:25:37,903 COURSE IN HIS HOMETOWN SLAVERY ROOTS. IT STARTED WITH A CALL FROM TWO ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO WANTED TO DO 179 00:25:37,969 --> 00:25:45,777 RESEARCH. >> WE START FROM THE IDEA THAT THESE PLACES MATTER. >> DENNIS POGUE ONCE WORKED AT 180 00:25:45,844 --> 00:25:52,517 MOUNT VERNON, DOUG SANFORD AT MONTICELLO. THEY ASKED IF THEY COULD COME EXPLORE SHARSWOOD. 181 00:25:52,584 --> 00:26:00,125 BUT THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED IN THE ORNATE HOUSE DESIGNED BY THAT FAMOUS ARCHITECT. WHAT THEY CARED ABOUT WAS THE 182 00:26:00,191 --> 00:26:06,831 DILAPIDATED BUILDING WITH THE TIN ROOF PAST THE BIG OAK TREE BEHIND IT. THEY SUSPECTED IT HAD ONCE BEEN 183 00:26:06,898 --> 00:26:13,605 SLAVE QUARTERS. >> THERE WERE ONCE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE BUILDINGS. THESE WERE ONE OF THE MOST 184 00:26:13,672 --> 00:26:18,944 COMMON TYPES OF ARCHITECTURE IN VIRGINIA. >> LET ME GIVE YOU THE DIMENSIONS. 185 00:26:19,010 --> 00:26:27,419 >> BUT NOW THESE BUILDINGS ARE RARE, WITH FEWER THAN 1,500 BELIEVED TO BE STILL STANDING. AND POGUE AND SANFORD STARTED A 186 00:26:27,485 --> 00:26:34,159 PROJECT TO SEARCH FOR THEM. >> SO, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR -- >> FRED AND KAREN INVITED THEM TO COME AND INVESTIGATE. 187 00:26:34,225 --> 00:26:41,066 THEY EXAMINED, MEASURED, AND SEARCHED FOR CLUES. >> YOU CAN SEE THE SIDING IS -- >> THEY SHOWED US SOME OF WHAT 188 00:26:41,132 --> 00:26:48,640 THEY FOUND. >> THESE ARE THE KIND OF NAILS THAT WE EXPECT TO SEE ON BUILDINGS BEFORE 1800. 189 00:26:48,707 --> 00:26:53,211 HAND MADE WROUGHT NAILS. >> HAND MADE. >> YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE HAMMER STROKES ON THE HEAD. 190 00:26:53,278 --> 00:27:00,885 >> IS THIS THE ORIGINAL SIDING? >> THESE ARE REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL SIDING, ABSOLUTELY. >> THEY WORKED FROM NOON TO DUSK 191 00:27:00,952 --> 00:27:07,792 AND FINALLY GAVE KAREN AND FRED THEIR CONCLUSION. >> IT'S GOT A COMPLEX HISTORY, BUT WE THINK PART OF THAT 192 00:27:07,859 --> 00:27:14,265 HISTORY, A BIG PART OF THAT HISTORY, WAS A QUARTER FOR ENSLAVED FOLKS. >> THEY SAY IT'S ONE OF THE BEST 193 00:27:14,332 --> 00:27:21,806 PRESERVED THEY'VE SEEN. THEY BELIEVE IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE LATE 1700s AS A HOUSE FOR A WHITE FAMILY. 194 00:27:21,873 --> 00:27:31,016 >> THAT'S WHERE THE ORIGINAL DOOR WAS. >> AND WAS LATER DIVIDED INTO TWO SEPARATE SINGLE-ROOM SLAVE 195 00:27:31,082 --> 00:27:36,221 DWELLINGS. >> TWO FAMILIES? >> YEAH. ONE HOUSEHOLD HERE, ANOTHER 196 00:27:36,287 --> 00:27:41,526 ENSLAVED HOUSEHOLD OVER THERE. >> IT WAS TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. THIS BIG, BEAUTIFUL WORLD HERE. LAVISH. 197 00:27:41,593 --> 00:27:47,165 AND YOU GO RIGHT BEHIND THE HOUSE, AND IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY. IT'S KIND OF CRAZY FOR ME JUST 198 00:27:47,232 --> 00:27:55,006 TO EVEN WALK AROUND OUT THERE. >> DO YOU OWN THAT? DO YOU OWN THE SLAVE HOUSE TOO? >> I OWN THE SLAVE HOUSE TOO. 199 00:27:55,073 --> 00:27:58,877 I DO. THAT'S MINE. >> WOW. >> FRED MILLER'S PURCHASE 200 00:27:58,943 --> 00:28:04,716 CONTINUES TO SURPRISE HIS FAMILY AND INTRIGUE HISTORIANS WHEN WE COME BACK. 201 00:28:15,927 --> 00:28:28,440 >>> WHEN FRED MILLER UNWITTINGLY PURCHASED WHAT HE NOW KNOWS TO BE THE SHARSWOOD PLANTATION HOUSE WITH SLAVE QUARTERS BEHIND 202 00:28:28,506 --> 00:28:35,713 IT, HE KNEW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT HIS FAMILY HISTORY. HE ALWAYS ASSUMED HIS ANCESTORS HAD BEEN ENSLAVED, BUT IT FELT 203 00:28:35,780 --> 00:28:43,021 TO HIM LIKE AN UNKNOWABLE PART OF A DISTANT PAST. LEARNING ABOUT HIS GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH MILLER, WHO 204 00:28:43,088 --> 00:28:49,461 HIS MOTHER HAD KNOWN AS A CHILD, PIQUED HIS INTEREST. SO, WHEN HE FOUND OUT HER HOUSE WAS STILL STANDING JUST A FEW 205 00:28:49,527 --> 00:28:56,301 MILES AWAY FROM SHARSWOOD, HE ASKED HIS MOTHER, BETTY DIXON, TO GO THERE WITH HIM. >> WE'RE GOING TO WALK DOWN 206 00:28:56,367 --> 00:29:06,377 THROUGH HERE. >> EDDIE'S GRANDMOTHER SARAH HAD BEEN THE FIRST OF THE ANCESTORS TO BE BORN INTO FREEDOM SHORTLY 207 00:29:06,444 --> 00:29:12,817 AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. >> NO LIGHTS NO, ELECTRICITY. >> BETTY REMEMBERS VISITING AND SPENDING THE NIGHT HERE WITH HER 208 00:29:12,884 --> 00:29:22,594 GRANDMOTHER AND COUSINS. >> WOAH. WHAT IS IT, ONE ROOM? >> SARAH'S HOUSE DIDN'T LOOK 209 00:29:22,660 --> 00:29:29,367 MUCH BIGGER THAN THE SLAVE DWELLING, JUST A SINGLE ROOM WITH A SMALLER ONE ABOVE IT. AND NO INDOOR PLUMBING. 210 00:29:29,434 --> 00:29:35,006 >> COME A LONG WAYS, HUH? >> SURE DID. >> GLAD I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE IN HERE. 211 00:29:35,073 --> 00:29:40,979 >> WELL, HAD TO MAKE IT WORK. >> YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS WALLPAPER TO TAKE WITH YOU? >> YEAH. 212 00:29:41,045 --> 00:29:45,250 >> HOPE THE LANDLORD DON'T SAY NOTHING. >> OH, LORD. THERE YOU GO. 213 00:29:45,316 --> 00:29:53,158 >> SARAH MILLER IS BURIED IN THE CEMETERY OF THE CHURCH THE MILLER FAMILY STILL ATTENDS. >> I'M GLAD NOW I CAN ACTUALLY 214 00:29:53,224 --> 00:30:01,466 COME IN AND SEE THIS. >> BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO THIS MILLER FAMILY, JUST FIVE MILES UP THE ROAD IN A DIFFERENT 215 00:30:01,533 --> 00:30:10,842 CHURCH CEMETERY, WAS A TOMBSTONE THAT ALSO READ, MILLER, A FAR OLDER ONE, WITH NAMES FRED AND HIS FAMILY HAD NEVER HEARD OF, 216 00:30:10,909 --> 00:30:17,715 BUT WERE ABOUT TO. IN KAREN'S SEARCH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SHARSWOOD, SHE FOUND A DOCUMENT THAT MENTIONED 217 00:30:17,782 --> 00:30:28,059 THEM. >> IT GAVE THE NAMES OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS, WHO WERE NATHANIEL CRENSHAW MILLER AND 218 00:30:28,126 --> 00:30:45,743 CHARLES EDWIN MILLER. >> MILLER? 219 00:42:21,906 --> 00:42:28,779 >>> "THE LAST MINUTE" OF "60 MINUTES" IS SPONSORED BY UNITED HEALTH CARE. GET MEDICARE WITH MORE. 220 00:42:28,846 --> 00:42:35,920 >> TONIGHT'S STORIES INVITED US ON A JOURNEY TO REVISIT THE PAST. AS IS TRUE OF SO MANY HISTORY 221 00:42:35,986 --> 00:42:43,427 LESSONS, OUR LOOKS AT BOTH SHARSWOOD AND CANADA'S RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS RESURRECTED PAINFUL AND SHAMEFUL ERAS. 222 00:42:43,494 --> 00:42:52,403 BUT OTHER PARTS OF THOSE STORIES POINTED WAYS TO PROGRESS AND HEALING. THE LATE DAVID McCULLOUGH, WHO 223 00:42:52,469 --> 00:42:58,609 CHRONICLED SO MUCH OF OUR HISTORY WROTE, HISTORY IS WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE ARE THE WAY WE ARE. 224 00:42:58,676 --> 00:43:21,665 WE HOPE TONIGHT'S BROADCAST HAS HELPED ILLUMINATE SOME OF EACH. I'M LESLEY