Local History Talk Next Week

The Underground Railroad, often characterized in our historical memory by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and secret hiding places, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. In the midst of significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to end the institution of enslavement. A small bit of evidence of this is the following notice which appeared in the Hudson Daily Star in February 1862.

New York was also visited by many who escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom.

From Underground Railroad by William Still, Porter and Coates, 1872

Next Thursday, February 25, the History Room of the Hudson Area Library presents a virtual talk by Paul and Mary Liz Stewart titled People of Courage, People of Hope, Seekers of Justice--The Underground Railroad Revisited. Paul and Mary Liz Stewart are co-founders of the Underground Railroad Education Center as well as independent researchers and Scholars in Residence at Russell Sage College. In their talk, they will share their seminal research on the Underground Railroad movement in upstate New York and explain the various initiatives of the Underground Railroad Center as it researches and preserves the local and national history of the Underground Railroad movement, its international connections, and its legacy for today's social justice issues.

The event takes place on Zoom from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. To register, click here. A question and answer period will follow the talk.