The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum will open for the season Saturday, June 4. The exterior interpretive signage at the GSENHL is open all year from dawn to dusk for visitors respectful of the grounds. The buildings and interior exhibits will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from June 4 to Aug. 28. NAHOF will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from June 4 to Aug. 28 and Monday through Thursday afternoons from June 13 through Aug. 18. The sites are also open for special events and group tours at additional times.
Norman K. Dann, Ph.D., will host the first three Sundays at the Gerrit Smith Estate with 2 p.m. presentations, followed by a tour of the estate. Dann has written nine books on 19th Century history of the Smith family and their abolition, women’s rights, environmental, social justice and Underground Railroad activities.
Sunday, June 5, Norm will present Peter, Gerrit, and Ann Smith. Norm will answer the question How can the fur trade, slavery, and religion be connected? The author will draw upon his 30 years of research and writing to establish the connecting lines among the lives of Peter, Gerrit and Ann Smith during the Post-Revolutionary and Reform eras of American history; $5 admission includes the presentation and the tour.
The NAHOF Hall of Fame and Museum will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, for Juneteenth weekend. At 6:30 p.m., Juneteenth: A Walk Through Galveston TX will explain the new federal holiday. At 7 p.m., the film Songs of Slavery and Emancipation will debut at NAHOF and at the People’s Forum at 320 West 37th Street in New York City. The video was partially filmed in Peterboro by Mat Callahan, who had recently discovered songs composed by enslaved people and long-lost songs of the abolition movement; $5 admission includes the Hall and Museum and the presentations.
The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark is located at 5304 Oxbow Road, Peterboro, and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum is at 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro. To mitigate COVID spread, masks, proof of at least two vaccines and contact information may be required. Check the websites for updates as volunteer operations are still evolving after the pandemic.
For more information, visit gerritsmith.org, email info@gerritsmith.org, visit nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org, email nahofm1835@gmail.com or call 315.684.3262.