• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Gerrit Smith, John Brown, and the Crusade for Social Reform

March 2, 2017 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

gerrit smithPeterboro NY will launch its 2017 Crusade for Social Reform at 1 pm on Saturday, March 11, with the annual celebration of Gerrit Smith’s birthday, held at the Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road.

Born March 6, 1797, Gerrit Smith, who lived and worked his entire adult life in Peterboro, was known for his philanthropy and activism for equality. Norman K. Dann PhD, researcher and author of Practical Dreamer: Gerrit Smith and the Crusade for Social Reform will introduce the 19th century Smith family activities, and then volunteers from the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) will explain the 2017 programs that will continue the quest for human rights in the 21st Century.

The 25th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend June 10 and 11 will feature the relationship of John Brown and Gerrit Smith who were determined to abolish slavery. This weekend event began in 1992 with the vision and leadership of Beth Spokowsky to explain how the relationship between Gerrit Smith and John Brown helped ignite the Civil War. Dr. Dann will describe the events leading up to Harpers Ferry in 1859. The catalyst that brought Smith to Brown’s attention was Smith’s endeavor to assure voting rights to black males by providing 40 acres of land to 3,000 African-Americans. This project in the Adirondacks came to be known as Timbuctoo, and after years of research the John Brown Lives organization has created a travelling exhibit Dreaming of Timbuctoo which will open in Peterboro for Civil War Weekend. On Saturday afternoon, August 6 during Emancipation Days, Timbuctoo creators will provide programs on the exhibit and voting rights. During Emancipation Days, attendees commemorate the emancipation activities of generations before, and provide Community Conversations to examine the quest for human rights.

In commemoration of the New York State Centennial of Women’s Suffrage, Civil War Weekend will also include a series of programs on Women in the Civil War – from fashion to equal rights. September 23rd Elizabeth Smith Miller will be featured with programs, Morning Marmalade, and a Bloomer Tea to relate her contributions to the domestic sphere of women, to dress reform with her bloomers, and to political equality with her club. Afternoon programs and the evening Suffrage Supper will focus on Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her reform upbringing in Peterboro, as well as her relationship with her reform cousin Gerrit Smith. On Sunday, September 24th Suzanne Spring, PhD will explain how the abolition movement launched the Women’s right movement. Area libraries will launch the Community Read of Invention of Wings. The Read will culminate on Sunday, October 22 with a program on Angelina and Sarah Grimke during the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) Commemoration Weekend. A panel will examine current extensions of these crusades for women. In closing Sally Roesch Wagner PhD will challenge the audience to continue the suffrage movement.

On Saturday October 21 NAHOF will commemorate its 2016 inductees to the Hall of Fame. Programs on Rev. John Gregg Fee, Beriah Green, Angelina Grimké, and James W.C. Pennington will be presented during the Abolition Symposium. A concert by the Berea College choir will honor Rev. Fee, a special tour of Beriah Green’s Utica will be conducted by the Oneida County Freedom Trail, a School of Divinity will honor Rev. Pennington, and The Invention of Wings Community Read culmination will feature the connections of inductee Angelina Grimké to Peterboro.

The public is encouraged to participate in all activities. The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and the National Abolition Hall of Fame will be open for events, weekend afternoons, by special appointment for group tours, and week days to be determined. Click here for updates and developments, or call (315) 280- 8828.

Illustration: Gerrit Smith, provided.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Events, History, Western NY Tagged With: Abolition, Black History, Gerrit Smith Estate, John Brown, National Abolition Hall of Fame

About Editorial Staff

Stories written under the Editorial Staff byline are drawn from press releases and other notices. Submit your news to New York Almanack here.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Support Our 2022 Fundraising

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Edythe Ann Quinn on Slug Slime: A Secret Weapon
  • Stefani on Jet Ski Invasion of NY Harbor Rounds Manhattan’s Tip
  • Debby Starck on Coyotes: Decoding Their Yips, Barks, and Howls
  • Sean on A Brief History of the Mohawk River
  • Helise Flickstein on Susan B. Anthony Childhood Home Historic Marker Dedication
  • Art and Fashion Teachers Opportunity: Quilts, Textiles, & Fiber Exhibitions Looking For Entries DEADLINE August 14, 2022 – Keeper of Knowledge on Quilts, Textiles, & Fiber Exhibitions Looking For Entries
  • Margaret on Catskills Resort History: The Beginning of the End
  • Kathleen Hulser on Georgia O’Keefe At Wiawaka On Lake George
  • Alison, descendent of Thurlow Weed on Albany’s Thurlow Weed: Seward, Lincoln’s Election, & The Civil War Years
  • Jimmy Wallach on Catskills Resort History: The Beginning of the End

Recent New York Books

off the northway
Horse Racing the Chicago Way
The Women's House of Detention
Long Island’s Gold Coast Warriors and the First World War
Public Faces Secret Lives by Wendy Rouse
adirondack cabin
Spaces of Enslavement and Resistance in Dutch New York
ilion cover
Spare Parts

Secondary Sidebar

preservation league
Protect the Adirondacks Hiking Guide