Clinton and Essex counties were a center of the roiling abolition controversies before the Civil War, helping many freedom-seekers fleeing enslavement follow the Lake Champlain corridor to Canada in the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s.
A first-ever North Country Juneteenth celebration of the region’s role in the fight against slavery will highlight Underground Railroad work in the area, as well as prominent anti-slavery Quakers and abolitionist John Brown.
Juneteenth is now a national and state holiday which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. The “Colors of Freedom” tour will be a unique way for families and visitors alike to experience the struggles that took place in this area.
The June 19 “Colors of Freedom” tour will feature seven different stops with re-enactors, docents, and celebrations of the freedom spirit in Clinton and Essex counties.
Sponsored by the North Star Underground Railroad Museum, John Brown Lives!, the Adirondack History Museum and the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, this event involves existing museums, exhibits at historic locations, and original re-enactments. There will also be a June 18th screening of “Searching for Timbuctoo,” a documentary and Q&A with the director at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. (Tickets for that event are $5).
The “Colors of Freedom” tour will start at 9 am at the North Star Underground Railroad in Ausable Chasm and will visit the Evergreen Cemetery, Quaker Union and Stephen Keese Smith’s farm. Attendees will also travel to Elizabethtown Courthouse to hear about John Brown’s trip to his final resting place at 1 pm. The final stop will be at 3 pm on the John Brown Farm which will be a celebration of Freedom with music.
Details for “Colors of Freedom” Tour can be found online.
The charge will be $10 a person, $20 for a family pass, and pre-registration is required.
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