State History

This article originally appeared in a joint Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum press release.

The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark (GSENHL) and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) will open for the season on Saturday June 4, 2022. The exterior interpretive signage at the GSENHL is open all year from dawn to dusk for visitors respectful of the grounds. The buildings and interior exhibits will be open from 1 – 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from June 4 to August 28. NAHOF will be open from 12 – 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from June 4 to August 28, and Monday – Thursday afternoons from June 13 ~ August 18. The sites are also open for special events and group tours at additional times.

Norman K. Dann PhD will host the first three Sundays at the Gerrit Smith Estate with 2 p.m. presentations followed by a tour of the estate. Dann has written nine books on 19^th Century history of the Smith family and their abolition, women’s rights, environmental, social justice, and Underground Railroad activities. Sunday, June 5, Norm will present Peter, Gerrit, and Ann Smith. Norm will answer the question: How can the fur trade, slavery, and religion be connected?  The author will draw upon his thirty years of research and writing, to establish the connecting lines among the lives of Peter, Gerrit, and Ann Smith during the Post-Revolutionary and reform eras of American history. Five dollar admission includes the presentation and the tour.

The NAHOF Hall of Fame and Museum will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 18^th for Juneteenth weekend. At 6:30 Juneteenth: A Walk Through Galveston TX will explain the new federal holiday. At 7 p.m. the film Songs of Slavery and Emancipation will debut at NAHOF and at the People’s Forum at 320 West 37^th Street New York NY. The video was partially filmed in Peterboro by Mat Callahan who had recently discovered songs composed by enslaved people and long-lost songs of the abolition movement. Five dollar admission includes the Hall and Museum, and the presentations.

The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark is located at 5304 Oxbow Road, Peterboro NY 13134 and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum is at 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134. To mitigate Covid spread, masks, proof of at least first two vaccines, and contact information registration may be required. Check the websites for updates as volunteer operations are still evolving after the pandemic.