This lecture will delve into the largely hidden history of the black landowning communities in Westchester in the early 1800s, shortly after the abolition of slavery in New York. Many have heard of places like Seneca Village, a free Black settlement in Manhattan, but few realize that there were many similar communities all over the greater New York City area, especially in Westchester. Sizable groups existed in Harrison, White Plains, Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, New Rochelle, and elsewhere. Black families used land to earn dependable income, escape wage labor, and secure their right to vote, as a racist provision in the state constitution required Black men to have at least $250 worth of real estate in order to cast a ballot. Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site historians Michael Lord and J. Keith Doherty will discuss the long impacts of slavery on New York State and how free Black communities gained land ownership before and after abolition.
Michael A. Lord is the Historic Site Director at Philipse Manor Hall. A well-seasoned Public Historian, Mr. Lord has decades of experience in research and content development at numerous museums and historic sites. He is a graduate of Amherst College and the College of William & Mary with degrees in African American studies, American History, and American studies, and specializes in presenting the complex and often underrepresented stories of the colonial African American experience.
J. Keith Doherty is a Westchester County native who was a Professor of Art History for twelve years at Boston University and has in recent years been researching the infrastructure and early history of Westchester, which is how he first encountered Black landowners in early Westchester. He currently works as a researcher, historian, and interpreter at Philipse Manor Hall.
In-person tickets are free for everyone, courtesy the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall. To reserve your spot call 914-965-4027 or email philipsemanorhall@parks.ny.gov.
Virtual access is free and open to everyone. Access at the link below.
The Philipse Manor Hall History Lecture Series is sponsored by the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall. To support more programs like this one, become a Friend today!
