Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday February 1, 2007
LONG ISLAND CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH ART AND HERITAGE
Contact: Kristen Matejka
Director of Marketing and Communications
LICVB&SC
631 951-3900 xt.317
LONG ISLAND CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH THROUGH ART AND HERITAGE
HAUPPAUGE, NY –(February 1, 2007)- Long Island, well-known to be an historical stop along the Underground Railroad, has several significant sites including churches, homes and museums visitors can explore, and this month celebrates Black History Month with African American art exhibits at several of its major state parks, and special events and exhibits scheduled at its African American Museum in Hempstead.
Long Island, because of its widespread Quaker network and its nearness to New York City abolitionist strongholds, has long been known to have served as a way station for escaped slaves seeking freedom, according to the New York State Heritage Commission.
A local initiative to document Underground Railroad sites and the local Quaker Abolitionist Movement is being undertaken by the State University of New York, College of Old Westbury. Thus far these include sites in Jericho, Port Washington, Roslyn, Smithtown, Wantagh, and Westbury.
As interest in this field gathers momentum, other sites will most likely be uncovered. Many are known conjecturally or through local folklore and family legend. However, because of the secretive nature of the enterprise, conclusive documentation will require-in-depth, time consuming research, according to the Heritage Commission. It is estimated that as many as 100,000 enslaved escaped to freedom between the American Revolution and the Civil War, reaching its peak in the period between 1830 and 1860. Of particular interest are the specific routes taken, the identification of “safe houses” provided along these routes, and the individual and institutional efforts behind these ventures.
Local sites of interest for visitors to Long Island include:
Cedarmere in Roslyn Harbor, the historic property of prominent 19th-century poet, newspaper editor and civic leader William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878). This site includes the Bryant home and several other structures on a beautiful 7-acre property overlooking Roslyn Harbor. Cedarmere served as the rural Long Island home of Bryant from 1843 until his death in 1878. Bryant was an outspoken supporter of the anti-slavery movement. The estate was left to Nassau County to preserve as a memorial to Bryant.
Joseph Lloyd Manor House in Lloyd Harbor, where a privileged slave, Jupiter Hammon lived. Educated by the family he lived with, he became the first published black poet in the U.S. He also wrote “An Address to the Negroes of New York State” in 1787, seeking freedom for fellow slaves. Nearby is the Henry Lloyd House, where he was born in 1711.
The Maine Maid Inn in Jericho is a family run restaurant built in 1789. Owned by the Hicks family, this historic restaurant was once a station on the Underground Railroad. It features a secret set of steps and a hidden hallway in the cellar.
Several historically significant churches can also be visited. The Lakeville AME Zion church, open for Sunday services in Manhasset, was built in 1833 and was part of a community of free African Americans that existed well before the Civil War. All that remains of this community is the church, cemetery and several other small structures.
The Bethel AME Church of Setauket is one of the oldest African-American churches on the Island and in Sag Harbor, the St. David AME Zion Church may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Other historic sites include slave cemeteries on the grounds of the William Floyd Estate, an historic site open to the public in Mastic Beach, and the Tuthill slave cemetery in Orient.
To honor Black History Month, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Preservation celebrates with exhibits and paintings from some of America’s greatest black artists, as well as posters saluting black abolitionists, pioneers, scientists, educators, horticulturists and ecologists. The exhibits are designed to educate visitors about the rich African American culture. Exhibits will be on display the month of February at Montauk Downs State Park, Montauk; Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh; Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale and Long Island State Parks headquarters in North Babylon. Admission is free.
At Long Island’s African American Museum, Black History Month will be celebrated through a variety of special programs. These include a photo exhibit by Jamel Shabazz, documenting urban life in the U.S. with an emphasis on the rhythm of street culture and a special performance on Feb. 16 called “Diary of a Mad Black Feminist.”
The Museum will also unveil the Ella Fitzgerald stamp on Feb. 7 and on Feb 17, the Museum will host one of four college students who in 1960 staged a sit-in at a whites-only restaurant counter in Greensboro, NC.
The LICVB&SC invites visitors to come explore the rich African American history on Long Island.
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