SHARON — In 1827, at age 19, illiterate and scared, James Pennington escaped from slavery — and soon became one of the leading voices against slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War. The life of this Yale-educated minister is chronicled in a new book, “American to the Backbone,” by the Rev. Christopher L. Webber, a Sharon resident.Webber, who is happy to be called Chris, said he wanted to write about Pennington and his life as a way to inspire contemporary African-American teenagers and offer them a positive role model. Webber said he wants today’s youngsters to learn that — even when faced with the worst circumstances — personal desire and a positive attitude can help one fulfill dreams and aspirations. The lesson of “American to the Backbone” is that hope and perseverance can overcome the most challenging circumstances.“After escaping from slavery in the South,”Webber said, “Pennington slowly made his way north, often being sheltered by the underground railroad, until he was safe in Pennsylvania.” Pennington eventually ended up in New York, Connecticut and then Europe. Though he was illiterate, he had a thirst for knowledge. In addition to being self-taught, Pennington attended night schools and within five years became a teacher. Within another five years he became an ordained minister. He also became an international leader of the abolitionist movement.When asked where the idea for “American to the Backbone” came from, Webber said, “I discovered Pennington while doing research for the book ‘A Year with American Saints,’ which the Rev. G. Scott Cady and I wrote.” Webber said it took four years to write this book, on a part-time basis. He did much of the research at Yale and Wesleyan universities. Officially retired as a full-time Episcopal priest in 1994, Webber currently serves a congregation in Bantam on a part-time basis. “After 12 years of retirement, I missed the pulpit and serving congregants,” he said. “That’s who I am.”Webber said he has published more than 30 books. “American to the Backbone” is his second secular book. All his others had Christian religious themes, including “A Year with American Saints,” “An American Prayer Book,” “An Anthology of Anglican Prayers” and others.“American to the Backbone” was released on May 31. Between now and the end of September, Webber will make at least two book promotion appearances every week, including one at the Smithsonian Museum. In October his next book, “Welcome to Christian Faith,” will be released and he expects several other of his books to be published in the near future.Webber and his wife, Meg, a former travel agent, live in the Sharon home they built more than 20 years ago. They are parents of four children and have four grandchildren. In addition to his pastoral role in Bantam, his family, his research and his writing, Webber said he delights in taking care of his vegetable garden and orchard.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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