Black History & Culture Resources — Hudson Valley, Hudson Highlands, and Putnam County
Published in 2023, the Putnam History Museum’s Black History in Putnam County booklet provides a brief introduction to several influential Black individuals who lived in Putnam County, from the arrival of enslaved Africans to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. This booklet serves as a brief survey and introduction. Read more here: Black History in Putnam County Booklet Digital Download
PHM in Conversation with Peter Bunten of the Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery History Project
Putnam History Museum Executive Director Cassie Ward and Board Member Christine Foertsch sat down with Peter Bunten of the Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery History Project (MHAHP) as part of their celebration of Black History Month and toward the development of the PHM website Black History in the Hudson Valley resource page.
The Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery History Project (MHAHP) is a consortium of interested citizens and academics with the purpose of researching, interpreting and disseminating the history of slavery and abolition in the Hudson Valley region and Dutchess County in particular. Peter was a wealth of information about many fascinating aspects of this project, including the history of slavery in the region, the role of the Quaker community in the abolition movement, and the role of local nonprofit organizations in spearheading a community conversation about race.
The Mid-Hudson Antislavery Project has been hosting the Oh, Freedom Quilting Project throughout the Hudson Valley. The Putnam History Museum has collaborated with MHAHP on a quilt, which will be ready in August 2024.
Notable Persons
Research Articles
- The Hidden History of Tone’s Pond Discovered: The Namesake of a Revolutionary War Hero, by Roderick Cassidy
- Highland’s Current Series, “Always Present, Never Seen.”
- Hudson River Maritime Museum Black History Blog
- “African American History: A Past Rooted in the Hudson Valley,” from Hudson Valley Magazine
- “Slaves Rescued in Utica,” from the New York State Museum
- “Race Relations in the Hudson Valley,” from Livelihood Magazine
- “The Underground Railroad in the Hudson Valley,” by Fergus Bordewich
- Slaves and Slavery in the Hudson Valley
- “Dating the Start and End of Slavery in New York,” from the New York Slavery Records Index
- “On Slaves and Settlers: A History of the Philipse Family, 1662-1785,” from Columbia University
- Op-Ed: Perspective on Black History in Putnam County
- Virginia & Travis Green’s Magnolia Farm & Resort, Patterson, NY
(Photo) Unidentified African American girl, from the New York Heritage’s “African American Presence in the Hudson Valley” Collection, a sub-series of the Historic Huguenot Street Collection
Exhibitions
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Databases and Digital Collections
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Curricula
- The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, An Educator’s Guide for Grades 7-8, from the New York State Museum
- Educational Resources for Teachers Grades 4-8, from Missing Chapter
- Lessons in the Geography of the Underground Railroad in New York State, from the New York Geographic Alliance
- “Slavery in New York” Classroom Materials, from the New York Historical Society Museum and Library
- Mapping the African American Past (MAAP) Lesson Plan Collection, from Columbia University
- “Why did New Yorkers have Differing Views of American Slavery in the Mid-1800s?” from Putnam and Northern Westchester BOCES
(Left) Underground Railroad Stations throughout New York State, by Timothy McDonnell of the New York Geographic Alliance
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Court Cases
- Court Cases in the African American Presence in the Hudson Valley Collection, from the New York Heritage Digital Collections
(Left) Sketch of a Local Courthouse, from The Missing Chapter: Untold Stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley
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Cemeteries
- Lawson Cemetery, Putnam Valley, New York, from Putnam Graveyards
- Pine Street African Burial Ground & Museum, Kingston, New York, from Harambee Kingston NY, Inc.
- Rhinebeck Cemetery, Rhinebeck, New York, from Hudson Valley Magazine
- Mt. Zion African American Burial Ground, Kingston, New York, from Hudson Valley Magazine
- Belden Slave Cemetery, Carmel, New York, from Putnam Graveyards
(Left) Belden Slave Cemetery (also known as Shaw Cemetery) in Carmel, New York, from Putnam Graveyards
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Organizations & Special Projects
- Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project, June 2007, by Rebecca Edwards, Torrie Williams, and Kristina Poznan of Vassar College (research report)
- Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project Website
- The Oh, Freedom! Quilting Project, created by the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project (learn more about getting involved!)
- Interactive Map of African American History in New York City and Long Island, from MAAP at Columbia University
- Hudson Highlands Land Trust: Relearning Highlands History
- Bearing Witness: Exploring the Legacy of Enslavement in Ulster County, New York
(Left) Interactive Map of African American Activity in New York City and Long Island, from MAAP at Columbia University
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Music
- “Music of Slavery,” from Digital History
- “Using Music to Teach Abolitionist History,” from the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project
- “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” sung along the Underground Railroad
- “Wade in the Water,” widely known by escaped slaves
- “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” a song from the Slavery period