Oneida County History Center Virtual Learning Event on The Underground Railroad, Abolition and Women in Central New York – WUTR/WFXV – CNYhomepage.com

Saturday, March 20 at 11:30 am

Posted: Mar 9, 2021 / 04:55 PM EST / Updated: Mar 9, 2021 / 04:55 PM EST

Shaping the Future: The Underground Railroad, Abolition and Women in Central New York

ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY-TV) Women in Oneida County played an active, but often untold, part in the Abolition movement and theUnderground Railroad. On Saturday, March 20 at 11:30 am, the Oneida County History Center will host Mary Hayes Gordon who will speak about Women & the Underground Railroad in Oneida County. This program will be offered virtually via Zoom.

Organized abolitionism began in Oneida County in the early 1830s. Local activists were inspired by the words and examples of Beriah Green and his students at the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, the first school in the country at which black men were just as welcome as whites. By 1835 there were 17 anti-slave societies throughout Oneida County and numerous Underground Railroad stations as well.

This is an important chapter in the nations history. Black and white men and women involved with the Underground Railroad did so at their peril, for federal law could punish anyone who assisted an escaped slave. But in both the rural and urban areas of Oneida County, people and communities sheltered fugitives, and encouraged some of them to settle in the area.

Mary Hayes Gordon is co-chair of the Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission, which researches and documents Underground Railroad and Abolition activity in the region. Her interest in this subject developed when she documented the history of her home in New Hartford, which was a station on the Underground Railroad. She is currently working on a county-wide study, led by Dr. Judith Wellman in conjunction with Fort Stanwix, for the National Park Service. She and co-chair Jan DeAmicis give guided tours of Underground Railroad and Abolition sites in Utica, which they have also developed into a self-guided walking tour. Hayes Gordon presents the history of the everyday people who did the work to change our world.

This online program takes place on Saturday, March 20, 2021 starting at 11:30 am. The event is free and open to all. Advanced registration is required and can be completed at https://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/programs.html. Registrants will receive a link and instruction on how to join this online event after registration is complete.

The Oneida County History Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving the history, heritage, and culture of the Greater Mohawk Valley for present and future generations. Admission to this program is free for the general public; donations are encouraged. Please contact the History Center at 315-735-3642 or visit the OCHC website (www.oneidacountyhistory.org) for additional information.

Registration Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcOiprTMoGNIcAvdnBQxMBAnjmKnuJHYm

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Oneida County History Center Virtual Learning Event on The Underground Railroad, Abolition and Women in Central New York - WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com