Presentation on Hudson Valley Slavery and the Birth of a Free Black Community

Staatsburg, N.Y. — Staatsburgh’s founder, Governor Morgan Lewis, enslaved people of African descent at his estate in Staatsburg, New York. Yet, when his great-granddaughter, Ruth Livingston Mills, lived at Staatsburgh at the turn of the 20^th century, the staff was exclusively White and of European descent. Staatsburgh State Historic Site is offering a free, one-hour program, “Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh” in-person on Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. and via Zoom on Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. The program is free, but reservations are required at https://Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

Site staff will lead a conversation exploring the transition from a Black presence at Staatsburgh during the early 19^th century, to the apparent absence of Black people at the estate during the Gilded Age. Beyond the estate walls, a free Black community was able to grow and thrive in the surrounding hamlet during the later 19^th century for several generations.

This one-hour program will include historic photographs and documents related to this history, notably a letter from Staatsburgh’s archives written by Founding Father John Jay, discussing his 1790 purchase from Morgan Lewis, of an enslaved man named Peter Williams. The presentation will focus on recent research into the Black people living and working at the Staatsburgh estate and in the neighboring hamlet of Staatsburg, bringing in the larger context of racial oppression and Jim Crow, to present audiences with a new perspective on Staatsburgh.

The program is free, but reservations are required at https://Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

“Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh” and Staatsburgh’s blog essay series, Enslaved & In Service, are presented within the larger New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation’s “Our Whole History” initiative, which aims to explore indigenous, Black, LGBTQ+, and other stories still untold by historic sites throughout the state. “Our Whole History” seeks to bring a more balanced historic narrative to public awareness, enriching both our state’s history and the stories we share throughout the historic site system. Through on-going research and new interpretations, the agency seeks to create a more inclusive environment, more reflective of our multicultural past, and welcoming to all.

Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park are located on Old Post Road in Staatsburg, off Route 9 between Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. The historic site is one of 6 sites and 15 parks administered by the Taconic Region of New York State Office of Parks,

Recreation and Historic Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s websites at https://parks.ny.gov, www.facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS, and www.staatsburghstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com. Staatsburgh’s events are listed at https://parks.ny.gov/events

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Join us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and the OPRHP Blog.