Slavery in the Lower Hudson Valley - The Journal News

Slavery In The Lower Hudson Valley 

Lessons from our past, 

hope for our future . . . 

in our own backyard: 

Philipsburg Manor, 

Historic Hudson Valley.

A Newspaper-in-Education Supplement to The Journal News • LoHud.com 

Dear Reader, 

Historic Hudson Valley has partnered with The Journal News to bring you this 

special issue devoted to the history of slavery in the colonial north and at Philipsburg 

Manor. While it is fitting that this issue is coming out during Black History 

Month, it really could have been produced any month of the year. Black 

history, after all, is American history. It is part and parcel of every moment of 

our nation’s history. 

Tina Liu 

Cover art: 

Contents 

Enslavement 

In the Colonial North and 

At Philipsburg Manor 

Responses to Slavery 

In New York 

How Do We Know 

What We Know About 

Philipsburg Manor? 

Pretends to Be Free: 

Imagining Runaway Slaves 

African Culture Is 

American Culture 

Reflections on the 

Legacy of Slavery and 

Its Relevance Today 

Historic 

Hudson Valley Sites 

Thank You 

3 

5 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

Inset: Another Side, by Allyza Lustig. Based on runaway 

slave advertisement that appears on page nine 

of this supplement. 

Background: Closeup of original 1750 probate inventory 

of Adolph Philipse, of Philipsburg Manor. New 

York Public Library, Manuscript and Archives Division, 

Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. 

Philipsburg Manor programs are made 

possible, in part, with public funds 

from the New York State Council on 

the Arts, a state agency, and the Basic 

Program Support Grant of the Westchester 

Arts Council with funds from 

Westchester County Government. 

The reinterpretation 

of Philipsburg 

Manor has been 

made possible by 

a major grant from the National 

Endowment for the Humanities. 

When the term slavery is mentioned, students often turn their thoughts to cotton 

fields and southern plantation-style agriculture. It may come as a surprise 

to many, then, that slavery existed in all thirteen North American colonies before 

the American Revolution, and, in some form, in all thirteen states after the 

revolution. In 1750, for example, New York City had the second largest urban 

enslaved workforce in all the thirteen colonies. And in 1750, 23 enslaved individuals 

lived and labored on Adolph Philipse’s plantation at Philipsburg Manor 

in Westchester County. 

Some may ask why we want to focus so much on slavery in this day and age. The 

answer can be found, in part, in the words of author William Faulkner. Faulkner 

once wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even passed.” We believe that many 

of the issues of race and class that our society continues to grapple with today 

cannot be tackled without a deep and thorough understanding of what went 

before us. It is our hope that this special issue will help you to understand the 

importance of slavery in the formation of our nation’s past and present. 

Thom Thacker 

Site Director 

Philipsburg Manor 

Tom Donovan 

Publisher 

The Journal News 

ONE GANNETT DRIVE • WHITE PLAINS, NY 10604 • (914) 694-9300 • WWW.LOHUD.COM 

In The News ... 

• The Table of Contents gives an overview of 

the topics that are covered in this supplement. 

• What purpose does the Table of Contents 

in today’s newspaper serve? Is it similar to 

or different from that of the supplement? 

• Find an issue or event in today’s paper that is 

covered by more than one story just as slavery 

is in this supplement. Why write separate 

stories on the same topic? 

Supplement created by Thom Thacker and Michael Lord, with special thanks to Margaret Vetare, McKelden Smith, Rob Schweitzer, Ross 

Higgins, and members of Historic Hudson Valley’s African American Advisory Board. For The Journal News: Edited by Patricia Lisella Graff and 

designed by Teresa Pereira Neufeld. Thanks to students from Ossining High School and Croton-Harmon High School for their original artwork. 

Elana Hoffman


 

Philipsburg Manor 

Philipsburg Manor is a living-history site that tells the story of the 

23 enslaved Africans who lived and labored at Philipsburg Manor in 

1750. A colonial-era provisioning plantation that exported food for 

the sugar plantations in the West Indies, Philipsburg Manor also tells 

the story of the development of commerce and cultural diversity 

in colonial New York. Hands-on activities and tours of Philipsburg 

Manor’s gristmill, farm, manor house, slaves’ garden, and activity 

center open a window into what daily life was like in 1750 for 

the enslaved community. In thinking and talking about 

issues and events of that time, visitors to the 

property gain an understanding of the 

past and the present. 

Establishing Slavery 

In New York 

The history of how Philipsburg Manor developed begins with the settlement 

of the colony of New Netherland by the Dutch West India Company (DWIC) 

in 1624. The Dutch had acquired the land from Native Americans through 

purchase as well as through unfair practices. This colony was set up as a business, 

and the main goal was for the DWIC to profit from trading beaver pelts and other 

goods from America with Europe. In 1625, the Dutch, who had been involved in 

the slave trade since the 1590s, brought the first group of eleven enslaved male 

Africans to New Amsterdam (Manhattan Island) in order to build and support the 

roads, houses, and forts of the new colony. 

Despite efforts to draw Northern Europeans to New Netherland, the population 

of the colony did not grow enough to support a trading post outside of the 

Netherlands. As a result, the DWIC decided to bring more enslaved Africans to 

New Netherland. Enslaved Africans labored as caulkers, blacksmiths, bricklayers 

and masons to make improvements to the slow-growing colony. By the 1640s, the 

African population in New Netherland included free persons of African descent. 

Although few in number, these individuals had purchased or otherwise gained 

their freedom. Free blacks owned land, married in the Dutch Reformed Church, 

and passed along inheritances to their children. 

The English seized control of New Netherland in 1664 and divided it into the 

two colonies of New York and New Jersey. By 1720, 5,740 enslaved individuals 

lived in the colony of New York (16% of the total population) and about half that 

number lived in New Jersey. In 1750, the enslaved population of New York was 

11,014 (14% of the total population), nearly double the figure of 1720. 

Interpretation of map of New Amsterdam c. 1640


SLAVERY AT PHILIPSBURG MANOR 

Photos by Bryan Haeffele 

At Phillipsburg Manor, costumed 

guides help visitors learn about 

slavery in the Colonial north. 

In the 1680s, Frederick Philipse, a wealthy 

Dutch merchant, owned much of what 

is today lower Westchester County and 

had homes and workplaces in both Manhattan 

and present-day Sleepy Hollow. In 1685, 

the Philipse family began their involvement 

in the slave trade. It is likely that eight African 

captives on board the Philipse’s ship 

the Charles became the first group of enslaved 

Africans at Philipsburg Manor. The 

earliest slaves at Philipsburg Manor would 

have cleared the land for farming, and built 

structures including the manor house, mill, 

church, and wharf. For the next 65 years the 

Philipse family relied on slave labor to run 

its operations at Philipsburg Manor. They 

also relied on the labor of tenant farmers 

who grew wheat on the many farms that 

surrounded Philipsburg 

Manor. 

Much of the work completed 

by the enslaved 

community at Philipsburg 

Manor was the 

same kind of labor that 

other 18 th -century farmers 

performed. Women 

tended the garden, 

cooked and preserved 

food, cared for the house, 

raised children, doctored 

the ill, and managed the 

dairy. Women also spun 

wool and flax, prepared 

medicines, and worked 

in the fields. 

The enslaved men at Philipsburg Manor 

raised crops and animals. The men also labored 

as blacksmiths, coopers (barrel-makers), 

boatmen, and carpenters. They worked 

at the gristmill grinding vast quantities of 

wheat and at the bake house where they 

produced sea biscuits (dense, long-lasting 

biscuits for consumption on ship’s voyages) 

for sailors. The men packed flour, biscuits, 

and other agricultural produce in barrels, 

and then transported these to the wharf 

on the Pocantico River. At the wharf, the 

men loaded the barrels onto boats bound 

for New York City. These boats would carry 

goods to the Philipse family’s warehouses 

where they would then be traded or used 

on sailing voyages to Europe, Africa, or the 

West Indies. 

Caesar, the master miller, and Diamond, 

the boatman responsible for transporting 

cargo to and from the city, filled roles especially 

valuable to the success of the manor. 

Diamond’s freedom of movement also made 

him valuable within the enslaved community 

because he could carry news, information, 

and messages between Philipsburg Manor 

and points beyond. b 

Where Did Enslaved 

Africans Come From? 

Most enslaved Africans in America came from the west coast of Africa 

including present-day Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Angola, or 

from Madagascar, a large island off the southeast coast of Africa. 

Some enslaved Africans also came from the interior of Africa. 

Enslaved Africans traveled to the Americas via ship. Often these journeys 

took many weeks or months. For instance, a journey from the west coast 

of Africa to New York could take up to four months. During what is called 

the Middle Passage—the crossing of the ocean from Africa to the Caribbean 

or the North American mainland—many enslaved Africans died as a 

result of overcrowding, diseases, and lack of food. Small ships were often 

overloaded with 200 to 300 people, and the enslaved Africans were forced 

to lie for many days below deck in spoon-fashion, shackled at their ankles. 

Although conditions made resistance difficult, there is evidence of mutiny on 

slave ships where enslaved Africans took control of the ships--such as on the 

Amistad in 1839. 

Novi Belgii in America Septentrionali. 

Matthew Seutter, engraver. Germany, 1730-1740.


 

Max Caulfield 

Responses To Slavery In New York 

Few enslaved Africans had the opportunity to express in writing 

their views on their condition. But based on their actions it is 

clear that captives actively resisted their oppression through 

many responses, both violent and non-violent. There were serious 

risks associated with each of these forms of resistance, including 

separation from family, physical punishment, or death. 

Running away was one way enslaved men and women in the 

North fought their captivity and thwarted white owners economically. 

Many ran to join family members from whom they had been 

separated. One of Frederick Philipse’s enslaved Africans named 

Jack ran away from Philipsburg Manor around 1694. Frederick 

traced Jack to Stratford, Connecticut, but lost all trace of him 

thereafter. Frederick assumed Jack had run to Rhode Island and 

sailed from there to the Gulf of Persia, and he instructed his ship 

captains to look for Jack when they sailed to Madagascar. 

Some individuals rebelled against enslavement by working 

at a slow pace or pretending to be ill or unskilled. Others 

stole goods from their owners. For many enslaved 

Africans, preserving and passing their African cultures 

on to their children was an important way 

to resist the daily oppression of enslavement. 

Emancipation In New York 

Toward the close of the eighteenth century, many northerners began to find that the 

use of free laborers could be more cost-effective than slavery. By the 1760s, emancipation—the 

idea of freeing enslaved Africans—became a political issue as the colonies 

began to appeal for freedom from England. Although the Declaration of Independence 

did not include any reference to emancipation, enslaved and free blacks were quick to 

use its focus on liberty to press for an end to slavery. Nevertheless, emancipation was 

a long process. 

In 1788, New York State outlawed the slave trade, making it illegal to import or 

export Africans for sale or for personal use. A series of laws followed, including 

the most important one that established July 4, 1827, as New York’s official 

Emancipation Day. On that day freedom was given to all enslaved individuals in the 

state -- just 38 years prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which freed 

all enslaved people throughout the United Sates. 

Enslaved Africans also used violence and destruction in their efforts 

to attain liberty, as individuals and collectively. They damaged 

tools, set fire to their owner’s property or murdered their masters. 

Significant uprisings occurred in New York City in 1712 and 

1741. In the trial that occurred after the 1741 rebellion, thirty 

Africans and four whites were executed; at least seventy-two 

Africans were deported. b 

What 

is History? 

We often think of history as something 

that has happened, that is over and done 

with. But that is not true—history changes 

over time. It is not that what happened in the 

past changes; rather, what changes is what people 

are interested in and the way the past is viewed 

by people in the present. There are an infinite number 

of stories that could be told about the history 

of the world, but obviously there is not an infinite 

amount of time to tell these stories. As a result, a 

large part of “doing” history is deciding what to 

focus on. Because time is limited, the decision 

to focus on something is at the same time a 

decision not to focus on other things. For 

example, at Philipsburg Manor, we have 

decided to focus on the lives and labor 

of the enslaved population 

at Philipsburg Manor. 

In The News . . . 

• Enslaved Africans had few ways to express 

their views in writing to others about their 

condition. 

• Using the newspaper, find examples of 

individuals, or groups of individuals, using 

multiple means of expression. 

• One form of expressing one’s view in 

newspapers is the Editorial page. Find the 

“Letters to the Editor.” Write your own 

letter to the editor about an issue. 

Noah Woodley-Aitchison


How Do We Know What We Know? 

When you cross the bridge from the visitor center and 

step into the historic site known as Philipsburg Manor, 

you learn what life was like on a provisioning plantation 

in the year 1750. When you enter the gristmill, you’ll 

hear about Caesar, the enslaved miller, and what his life 

was like at Philipsburg Manor. But how do museums know 

what happened “back then?” Certainly there isn’t anyone 

alive from that time period to tell us what life was like. 

Uncovering the Story 

Of Philipsburg Manor 

Historians use a number of different methods to help them 

understand what has happened in the past. Most historians 

start with primary sources to gain an understanding of the past. 

Historians, working with archeologists and curators, have relied on 

such things as inventories, rent rolls, ships’ manifests, depositions, 

newspaper advertisements, artifacts, and archeological evidence to 

tell today’s story of Philipsburg Manor. 

Where Did Philipsburg 

Manor’s Enslaved 

Community Come From? 

The provisioning plantation known as Philipsburg 

Manor had its start in the late 1600s. 

Colonial records tell us that Frederick Philipse 

I began buying land along the North, or 

Hudson, River in the late 1670s. Shipping records 

tell us that the Philipse family imported 

large quantities of building materials such as 

bricks, iron, and window glass from Europe 

in the early 1680s. Around the same time, the 

Philipses began importing captive Africans to 

the sugar-producing island of Barbados and 

also to New York. 

One document that tells us something 

about Frederick Philipse’s involvement in 

the slave trade is the legal testimony from 

one of the crew on board a Philipse-owned 

ship named the Charles. In 1685, Charles 

Barham was a sailor on board the Charles 

when it sailed from England to West Africa 

and then, laden with captive Africans, on to 

Barbados and finally, New York. The trade in 

human beings was part of a vast system of 

transatlantic trade carried on by the Philipses 

and others between North and South 

America, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. 

Barham’s deposition states that the captain 

of the Charles took 146 Africans on 

board at Sony (known today as M’Pinda 

Soyo) at the mouth of the Congo River. 

These individuals probably belonged to the 

B’Kongo kingdom as this empire was in the 

midst of a civil war in the 1680s. The captain 

would have negotiated with a king or military 

leader for the sale of captives taken as 

prisoners of war. Forty-one captives did not 

survive the arduous journey from Africa to 

the New World, known as the Middle Passage, 

as only 105 landed in Barbados. Sugar 

planters in Barbados bought 82 of the 105 

survivors. The remaining 23 who were not 

sold were probably too sick to be of economic 

value. These individuals sailed for 

New York City where an additional 14 died. 

Frederick Philipse’s son Adolph probably 

marched eight of the nine survivors across 

Westchester County from Rye to Philipsburg 

Manor. These eight Africans, likely all 

B’Kongo, would have marked the first community 

of enslaved individuals to live and 

work at Philipsburg Manor. 

The story of the Charles was not unique. 

Over the course of almost four hundred 

years, tens of thousands of ships made similar 

journeys. In fact, during the 1700s, three 

out of every four persons coming to the 

Americas came from Africa. 

Map it out! 

Use Barham’s deposition to plot the course of the Charles 

from England, to Africa, the Caribbean, and New York. 

Compare the names of ports and empires on an old map 

with a modern map. 

Figure it out! 

What percentage of captive Africans on board the Charles 

lost their lives during the journey across the Atlantic 

Ocean? What percentage perished on the trip from Barbados 

to New York? What do you think were some of the 

causes of these deaths?


 

Who Lived at 

Philipsburg Manor? 

How do historians know who and what 

was at Philipsburg Manor in the past? We 

know exactly who and what was here in 1750 

because when Adolph Philipse died in 1750, 

a probate inventory was made that listed all 

the possessions he had owned at Philipsburg 

Manor and in New York City. The hand-written 

document is over fifty pages in length. 

Modern transcript from Adolph Philipse Probate Inventory, 

12 Feb. 1749/1750. 18th-century writing is difficult to 

read. An example appears in the background of the cover. 

New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division, Astor, Lenox, 

and Tilden Foundations. 

On the very first page of Philipse’s inventory 

you’ll note the names of twenty-three men, 

women, and children. These individuals were 

considered the property of Mr. Philipse. Because 

the enslaved community living at Philipsburg 

Manor was listed in Philipse’s probate 

Excerpt from New York Gazette 09 April 1750 

inventory, this valuable primary document 

not only tells us what was here in 1750, but 

also who was here. 

The inventory, however, has its limitations. 

Although it tells us what (and who) was 

here in 1750, it does not go into much detail. 

We know from other pages of the inventory 

that there was a manor house, a barn and a 

mill, but we don’t know what these buildings 

looked like. We know that there were twentythree 

enslaved persons living and working at 

Philipsburg Manor, but we don’t know where 

they all lived or how they may have been related 

or even who did what work. To learn more 

about the buildings and individuals who lived 

and labored here, we needed to look at other 

sources of information. 

Dusting Off the News 

Old newspapers are an excellent source of 

information. Advertisements to buy, sell, and 

auction goods fill the pages of colonial newspapers 

just as they do today. After Adolph 

Philipse died, the new owner of Philipsburg 

Manor (Adolph’s 

nephew, Frederick Philipse 

II) tried to sell or lease the 

property. Several advertisements 

were found in local 

newspapers that give us additional information 

about the buildings and the enslaved 

community that lived here. An advertisement 

to rent Philipsburg Manor tells us that the 

mill contained “three Pair of Stones, over shot 

with Bolting-Cloths, and Screw-Press, and all 

Things convenient for grinding, bolting and 

packing Flour.” Another lease advertisement 

tells us that the mill had “a large Store-House 

adjoining to the same” and that Philipsburg 

Manor had “a Negro Man that understands 

grinding.” These newspaper advertisments 

help us know more about the design of the 

mill (three grindstones, an overshot water 

wheel, and a large store house adjoining the 

mill) and that one of the enslaved men owned 

by Philipse was trained in milling. 

Digging Up the Past 

After looking over primary sources like inventories 

and advertisements, historians at 

Philipsburg Manor also had the opportunity 

to review archeological records. A large dig 

took place at Philipsburg Manor in the early 

1960s and numerous used and broken millstones 

were uncovered on the site. Archaeologists 

also uncovered the outline of the 18thcentury 

mill when they discovered a series of 

logs laid over the muddy soil alongside the Pocantico 

River. This outline provided researchers 

with the basic dimensions of the mill and 

helped architects and historians to reconstruct 

the old mill on its original location. 

Pieces of the Philipsburg 

Manor Puzzle Fall into Place 

By examining several 

sources, the museum 

today can provide 

a more detailed 

picture of life and 

labor at Philipsburg 

Manor. Existing documentation 

strongly 

suggests the origins 

of the first enslaved 

community here 

and tells us who 

lived here in 1750. 

By excavating the 

original foundation 

of the 18thcentury 

mill and learning that there was a 

storage shed attached and that the mill had 

three sets of grinding stones, modern architects 

and preservationists can design a more 

accurate reproduction for the site. Historians 

know that probate inventories generally list 

most valuable possessions first, and that the 

skills of 18th-century millers were regarded 

highly. Therefore, we conclude that the first 

person listed on the inventory, Caesar, was 

probably Philipsburg Manor’s miller. Like 

a jigsaw puzzle, history is made up of many 

bits and pieces that must be carefully placed 

together to see the big picture. When there 

are pieces that are missing (and there often 

are), historians must use their expertise and 

knowledge of a certain time period to responsibly 

imagine that part of the puzzle. b 

Discuss This! 

What is the difference between 

basing history on facts, responsibly 

imagining, or making it up?


Pretends to Be Free Imagining Runaway Slaves 

Students often express anger at the 

system of enslavement and suggest 

that they would have resisted slavery 

through acts of sabotage, rebellion, 

physical violence against slave owners, 

and by running away. Not surprisingly, many 

enslaved individuals did exactly what students 

suggest they would do if confronted by such a 

system. Although every type and individual act 

of resistance has its own story, there is much to 

be learned from the act of running away. 

Wherever slavery existed, enslaved individuals 

ran away. Colonial newspapers ran advertisements 

to retrieve lost or stolen “property.” In 

New York, the hundreds of runaway advertisements 

(three of which appear on these pages) 

printed in local newspapers provide us with a 

wealth of knowledge about enslaved individuals 

and their community. The ads show evidence of 

ongoing, active resistance by individuals against 

the institution of slavery and allow us a glimpse 

into the appearance, skills, personalities and 

motives of those who chose to run. 

It should be noted, however, that runaway 

advertisements were written by slave owners 

and written for people who supported slavery. 

Advertisements that refer to women as “wenches,” 

men as “boys,” hair as “wooll” and numerous 

character traits ranging from deceitful and 

cunning to slow-witted and clumsy tell us more 

about the authors than the true nature of the 

individuals who ran away. While a significant 

resource, runaway notices must be read with 

an understanding that these are painful reminders 

of an era marked by grave inhumanity. 

Documents written by slave owners about their 

slaves tell only one side of the story. b 

WHAT 

WOULD 

YOU DO? 

Adolph Philipse was one of the wealthiest 

men and one of the largest slaveholders 

in New York. When he died in the winter 

of 1750, his oldest nephew, Colonel Frederick 

Philipse II, inherited all his property. The inheritance 

included at least twenty-seven enslaved 

men, women and children—most of whom had 

lived together for generations at Philipsburg 

Manor in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Colonel Philipse 

wasted no time in selling off his new “property.” 

Within six months, Philipse had sold or 

transferred eleven of his late uncle’s slaves. One 

was an eight-year-old boy named Sam who 

was sold at an auction held at Philipsburg 

Manor and, presumably, sold in front of his 

parents and extended family. Imagine 

that you were a member of Sam’s 

family and witnessed him being 

auctioned to the highest 

bidder? What would 

you do? 

Another Side (Ripped paper collage), 2006 

Allyza Lustig, Croton-Harmon High School 

Advertisement: February 16, 1761 

Stolen by Her Mother, 2006 

Olivia Horvath, Croton-Harmon High School 

Advertisement: April 23, 1778 

Music has always been a big part of my life. I’ve played 

piano since kindergarten, and my siblings both play instruments 

as well. This, along with other influences, has often 

inspired me to incorporate music/instruments into my artwork 

in the past. While I was reading through the various 

advertisements, one of the things that stood out to me in 

particular was the fact that a slave named Mark Edwards 

chose to take his fiddle with him when he ran away from 

the plantation. I set a scenario up in my head: he was running 

away, had to carry a light load, and could probably 

take only what was most dear to him. One of these items, 

along with the necessities such as warm clothing for the 

winter, was his fiddle. Slave owners may have taken away 

his family, his friends, his dignity, and his pride, but they 

couldn’t take away his music, and that struck me as being 

very prominent in this description. 

Reading this, I began to think of different media, compositions, 

and color schemes that I could use to create this piece. 

I knew that I would want the main focus of the project to 

be his face and his violin, because that is what I imagine his 

values were: his own self and his instrument. I wanted the 

piece to show a sort of love or passion for something intangible 

(in this case, music) that could not be taken away. To 

focus on this, I centered it on his face, with the eyes closed 

to show concentration and captivation. Concerning color, I 

picked certain ones as I went along. The red, white, and blue 

scheme fell into place. African Americans pushed their way 

through thick and thin to become a part of America and 

eventually they succeeded, hence the chosen colors. 

I found this project to be one that I learned quite a bit 

from, and by that I mean both in the art sense and in the 

history sense. I was able to try to see something from a 

point of view that is not often looked at very closely. I 

set up situations in my head, reacted to them, and then 

worked them out on paper to decide which I’d like to focus 

on the most. This particular piece let me explore a media 

(ripped paper collage) that I don’t get to work in very 

often and I think that I learned a lot about value (sectioning 

off shadows, for example) in the process. 

My painting, titled “Stolen by her Mother,” reflects the 

injustice committed against enslaved peoples in pre-Civil 

War times. An ad that particularly struck me was one 

proclaiming the theft of a nine-year old daughter by her 

mother. This struck me as absurd—the fact that a mother 

could ever be charged with stealing her own daughter. 

This shows the biases that American society had towards 

slaves. Slaves were not valued or respected as people at 

all, but as property. 

In the painting, I tapped into how the mother and 

daughter might have felt—a strong bond, even though 

they were separated by the law. I tried to show this 

though the closeness of the two figures. Above them, I 

painted a chain. This was meant to be the ever-looming 

presence of the binding laws of the white man. Their faces 

are solemn, for even though they are together, this chain 

is always a present and pressing issue. For this artwork, 

I used acrylic paints. This is not a medium I usually work 

in, but I believed that the subtle shades and texture of 

paint on canvas would carry across some emotion into the 

piece. 

To me, this painting represents the injustice that was 

shown towards African Americans in the early years of the 

United States. The fact that families were torn apart was 

bad enough. However, the fact that a mother would be 

persecuted for attempting to rescue her young daughter 

is absurd and atrocious.


 

The artworks and statements on these pages are the work of high school students who 

participated in an art contest entitled “Pretends to Be Free: Imagining Runaway Slaves.” 

To see other works of art from this show, please visit www. hudsonvalley.org/runaway. 

Runaway Advertisements 

The New York Gazette , February 16, 1761 

How Far Is Freedom?, 2006 

Stephanie Lawton 

The Escape, 2006 

Sophie Hall 

RUN AWAY from the Subscriber, on the 20 th of December 

last, a Negro or Mulatto Man Servant, aged 

about 28 years, named Mark Edward, born near Byram 

River, in the County of Westchester, a well set 

Fellow, near six Feet high, talks good English, plays 

well on a Fiddle, calls himself a free Fellow, goes commonly 

with his Head shaved, hath two Crowns on the 

top of his Head, small black specks or moles in his 

Eyes, with a scar near the middle of his Breast, and a 

mole on his left Breast. Had on when he went away, a 

good pair of Leather Breeches, a blue Broadcloth Jacket, 

a red Jacket under it without sleeves, a good Beaver 

Hat. Whoever takes up and secures said Fellow, shall 

have FIVE POUNDS New-York Money Reward, and 

all reasonable Charges paid, by me ABNER SMITH, 

of New Haven, in the Colony of Connecticut. 

N.B. All House-keepers, and Masters of Vessels, are 

hereby forbid to harbour, conceal, or carry off said 

Fellow, as they may depend on being prosecuted according 

to Law. 

Abner Smith 

Bound (Black and white), 2006 

Caroline Torres, Ossining High School 

Advertisement: May 24, 1783 

The runaway slave, Violet, in this article is trying not to be 

caught and bound back into slavery by her white owner. 

To show this, I used different colored charcoals and drew 

Violet running away. The white bondage around her, dragging 

her down, represents the slave owners and everyone 

else trying to capture her and force her back into slavery. 

The background is a nighttime scene far away from where 

Violet ran. But even though she is so close to freedom, she 

is soon captured, bound, and brought back to slavery by 

her white slave owner, like so many before and after her. 

Motherhood, 2006 

Sisi Li 

Runaway, 2006 

Mary Kate Kelly 

Black and Blue, 2006 

Nick Conte 

Leaving it All Behind, 2006 

Ben Chehebar 

New-Jersey Gazette, April 23, 1778 

200 dollars Reward 

WAS stolen by her mother, a NEGRO GIRL about 9 

or 10 years old, named Dianah--Her mother’s name 

is Cash, and was married to an Indian named Lewis 

Wolis near 6 feet high, about 35 years of age--They 

have a male child with them between three and four 

years old. Any person that takes up the said Negroes 

and Indian and secures them, so that the subscriber 

may get them, shall have the above reward and all 

reasonable charges. 

Any person that understands distilling rye spirits, 

may find encouragement by applying to the subscriber 

at his own house. 

Kenneth Hankinson 

Penelapon, East New-Jersey, April 15, 1778. 

The Royal Gazette (New York), May 24, 1783 

Untitled (Violet), 2006 

Carolyne Vanegas 

Do This! 

• 

Write a story that describes what happened in the past 

to cause an individual who is described in one of the runaway 

ads to want to run away and/or write a story that 

describes what happens to the individual in the future. 

• 

Create a two- or three-dimensional artwork depicting 

one or more of the people described in one of the 

advertisements. Write a statement to accompany the 

artwork. 

Lone Boat in the Night, 2006 

Adam DePaolo 

Breath of Fresh Air, 2006 

Kara Rothschild 

• 

Draw the name of a classmate from a hat and write a 

runaway ad describing this person. As you do so, think 

about how the runaway ads are structured and what they 

include and exclude. Write a second ad describing yourself 

and then compare it to the ad that was written by the 

classmate who chose your name. Then write a short piece 

about how the runaway ads reflect the viewpoint of the 

writer, not the person being described. 

• 

Put yourself in the shoes of one of the enslaved individuals 

described in the ads. Write about how you came to 

the decision to run away and the steps you would take to 

elude capture and reach your final goal. 

FIVE GUINEAS REWARD 

W E N T off from his master on Thursday night, a 

Negro Wench, called VIOLET, with her male children, 

one about 7 years old, called Willis, the other 

about two years old, named Joe. The Wench is about 

26 years old, tall, thin, and somewhat pitted with 

the small-pox. The youngest boy is rather of a yellow 

complection. Both boys have lately had their hair 

or wooll cut short. Whoever apprehends said Negroes, 

and brings them to the Subscriber’s House, 

at Greenwich, shall have a reward of Five Guineas 

immediately paid them. 

David CampbelL

10 


A frican Culture is American Culture 

If you were to visit a foreign country (perhaps 

many of you have), you might notice 

that people do some things differently than 

we do at home. For example, people living in 

the place you visit might not speak English 

or they might drive on the opposite side of 

the road. Their clothes might be very different—men 

might wear robes or women might 

use veils to cover their faces outdoors. In some 

countries, people might not shake hands as 

a form of greeting; instead, they might bow 

to each other. Some people eat their fish raw 

while others consider ants covered in chocolate 

a delicacy. 

Simply put, around the world, groups of 

people do everyday things differently than other 

groups of people. These everyday customs 

make up what we call a group’s culture. Culture 

doesn’t necessarily mean laws; it means traditions, 

beliefs, and codes of conduct. Culture 

changes over time and many cultures borrow 

from other cultures. 

Research This! 

It is no surprise, then, that the Africans who 

arrived here by force as slaves shaped the development 

of American culture. For many years, 

historians studying slavery assumed that the 

enslaved men, women and children who came 

to America during the slave trade arrived here 

with nothing. It’s true that African captives 

arrived in America without tools, provisions, 

money or other material possessions, but it 

would be wrong to assume that they came 

with nothing. Rather, they came with their 

language and religion; they came with cooking, 

farming, and craft skills, with parenting 

skills, with music and storytelling traditions. 

The cultural traditions they brought helped 

form the society we live in today. 

It was important for enslaved people to keep 

hold of various African cultures. This was a 

way to maintain independence and humanity. 

Slaveholders might have claimed ownership 

over a person’s body and labor—but as long as 

that person had differing opinions and beliefs, 

his or her mind and spirit would not be owned. 

Maintaining aspects of African cultures was a 

Talk the Talk! 

Today, much of what we describe as “American” 

has African antecedents. Think of our language, 

music and stories—many common words 

have African origins. For example: How many 

of us have toted around a notebook, handbag 

or umbrella? Most of us are familiar with 

the word “tote.” This is a BaKongo 

word, “tota,” meaning to carry. 

There are other obvious ones; 

“gumbo”—from “kigombo,” 

common in several West African 

languages for thick soup; “Jitterbug,” 

from the Mandinko 

“jitu-bag’ meaning a type of 

fast dance. The words “hip’ and 

“dig”—slang dating back to 

bebop? No. These are Wolof 

words meaning to understand, to be aware. There is an entire 

dictionary of African words in the American language—words 

like “juke,” “jive,” “goober,” and even “o.k.” 

form of resistance to enslavement practiced 

on a daily basis by African captives throughout 

New York and the other colonies. b 

Like Europe, Africa is a 

continent, not a country. 

The Akan, B’Kongo, 

Coromantine, Vili and 

Ibo people were as present 

in New York in 1750 as the 

Dutch, English, Huguenot, 

Scottish and Germans. What 

different kingdoms of Africa 

did these people come from? 

What are the areas that they 

came from called today? 

What’s in a Name? 

Africa is three times larger than the U.S. and well over 2000 languages are spoken on the continent. 

Language can provide clues about where in Africa some enslaved individuals came 

from. Documents like shipping records, runaway advertisements, probate inventories, 

and wills tell us that Akan-speaking Africans and their American-born children resided 

on properties throughout New York. The Akan are a cultural group residing in 

what are now the countries of Ghana and Togo and during the late 17 th 

and early 18 th centuries, this region in West Africa accounted for 

nearly 40% of all Africans taken to the Americas. 

In accordance with tradition, Akan children are given names that 

correspond to the day of the week on which they were born. These 

day-names, called Kra, provide a cultural link from New York to the West 

African coast. In the 18th century, one of the most common names in greater 

New York was Cuff or Cuffee. This was based on the name Kofi. Other common 

names included Quake or Quack (Kweku), Quash or Quashee (Kwesi), Amba (Ama), 

and Cudjo (Kwajo). 

Here is a list of the Akan day names and their “kra” or defining character: 

Day Male Female Character 

Monday Kwajo Adjoa Peacemaker 

Tuesday Kwabena Abena Inspiration 

Wednesday Kweku Akua Messenger 

Thursday Yaw Yaa Political Leader 

Friday Kofi Afua Inventor 

Saturday Kwame Ama Defender 

Sunday Kwesi Esi Leader 

“Inventive” Former 

UN Chief Kofi Annan 

On 

what day 

of the week 

were you born? 

Do you know 

anyone who has 

one of these 

names?


11 

Bugs Bunny is from Africa? 

What about our stories and legends? African trickster tales—stories about the weak using 

their wits to defeat a stronger or faster opponent—were passed down from generation to generation. 

They not only helped maintain certain African traditions in the New World, but they also helped 

teach basic survival skills to the younger generations. Here is a story told by the Akan: 

Tale of Lion and Goat 

One day, long ago, old lion was prowling about looking 

for something to eat. Lion hadn’t eaten for quite 

some time and he was so hungry he began collecting nuts and berries 

for his supper. 

Just as old lion was setting about to eating a meal fit for a 

mouse, he saw way off in the distance old goat sitting on top of a 

big rock—just chewing away on what must be his dinner. 

Even though old lion was very hungry, he didn’t go crashing 

through the forest making haste right at old goat. Old lion knew 

that if goat heard him, or even caught wind of him, he’d disappear 

into the hills. So lion crept up slowly. He went a little ways this way, 

looked up and saw that old goat was still eating. Then he went a 

little ways that way, looked up—good, old goat was still chewing 

his supper and didn’t suspect a thing. All the while old lion was 

just inching his way closer and closer and closer to old goat. 

Finally, old lion got right up to that big rock that old goat was sitting 

on. All the time goat had been doing nothing but chewing. Lion was just 

about to jump up on that rock and make a meal out of old goat, but then lion 

remembered something. He remembered that although he was a lion—king of 

the beasts and the most fearsome hunter in the forest—he was also a cat. And 

cats, as you know, are of a curious nature. Old lion just had to know what goat 

was chewing on all this time. 

Lion knew he had goat trapped on top of that rock. So lion got up on his 

back legs and shouted up to goat. He said, “Goat, this is lion. I’ve been pretty 

hungry of late and I’m about ready to jump up there and make a meal out of 

you. But before I do, I have one question for you—what is it that you’ve been 

eating all this time?” 

When old goat heard lion roaring from below, he knew he’d been caught 

unaware. Goat was trapped up on that rock, but old goat was a 

quick thinker. He was scared, but he knew he couldn’t show 

that fear to old lion. So goat took a deep breath and stood 

up. Then he peered down over the edge of the rock and 

said, with all the courage he could muster, 

“Lion, you have a lot of nerve to ask me a 

question like that after telling me I’m about to be 

your supper! Just for that, I’m not bothering with you 

anymore.” And with that, old goat turned around and went back to chewing. 

Old lion was beside himself. How could old goat talk to him that way? Who 

was this goat to tell lion not to bother him? With that, lion leaped up to the top 

of the rock and looked goat in the eye as he roared “How dare you speak to me 

in that tone of voice! I am king lion and I command you, either tell me what you 

have been chewing on or prepare to be my supper!” 

With that, goat looked lion eye to eye and said, “You want to know what I’ve 

been eating? All this time I’ve been eating this rock. When I started, this used 

to be a mountain and I’ve nibbled it down to nothing but a bite sized rock. So if 

you don’t leave me alone, lion, I’m going to stop chewing on this rock and start 

chewing on you!” 

Now old lion got to thinking. If old goat could chew a mountain down to a 

rock, well, there was no telling what he could do to lion’s meat and bones. Lion 

looked at goat, then he looked down at the rock, then he looked at the forest 

where he left his meal of nuts and berries. Lion left goat on that rock and took 

off into the forest. 

When goat saw lion turn tail and run, he wiped the sweat gathering on his 

brow and finally let out that deep breath he took. Then goat sat back down 

on that nice, warm rock, smiled a little, and continued chewing on his cud, 

which is what he’d been doing all along. 

African captives in the southern United States passed down rabbit trickster tales from the Fanti and Ibo cultures of 

West Africa. These tales were later popularized by Joel Chandler Harris in the late 19 th century as part of his “Uncle Remus” 

collection. In the 20 th century they have been retold in cartoon form as Bugs Bunny—a classic African trickster. 

Cook and Eat This! 

The technique of deep-fat frying, so common in America, was and continues to be 

practiced on the African continent today. One of the dishes that has been made for 

centuries in West Africa is akkra, fritters made with black-eyed peas. Black-eyed peas 

were native to Africa and came to North America during the period of the trans- 

Atlantic slave trade. Deep-fried savory and sweet fritters, as well as food like hush 

Akkra 

Ingredients: 

Black-eyed peas, salt, vegetable oil, black pepper (optional) 

Procedure: 

puppies (deep-fried corn meal) are popular foods in America today. 1. Soak peas in bowl of warm water 

for about 30 minutes. 

2. Peel skin off peas. 

Symbols and Signs 

A remembrance of religious symbols may have been carried across 

the Atlantic by the Akan people. These symbols, called Adinkra, could 

have been easily drawn, carved or painted on any object or body to 

maintain cultural identity. One such symbol is called “Sankofa.” The symbol 

means “to return and take” and reflects the Akan belief that the past 

serves as a guide for the future. A simplified version of this symbol was 

found on an 18th-century coffin at the African Burial Ground in NYC. 

(This will take some time!) 

3. Grind peas (using a mortar and 

pestle, a grinding stone, or, if necessary, 

a blender) into a smooth 

paste. Add water as necessary to 

get it to the consistency of cookie 

dough—firm and not runny. 

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Stir the batter to 

make it fluffy. 

6. Heat oil in heavy and deep 

cooking pot to about 

400 degrees. 

7. Drop spoonfuls of batter 

in the oil. 

8. Fry until golden brown. 

9. Drain on paper towels and 

let cool for three minutes. 

10. Enjoy! 

Note: Deep-fat frying can be dangerous. Please ask your parents to 

provide supervision when making this dish. 

What 

is the moral 

of this story? 

Can you think of 

other tales that 

have similar 

morals?

Questions & Answers. . . . . . . 

12 


1 

2 

3 

Four founding members of the Historic 

Hudson Valley African American Board 

were asked these three questions: 

Why is it essential for people to study and talk about 

slavery in general, and slavery in the north in particular? 

Why is Philipsburg Manor important to you? 

If there were one central idea or thought that you 

would want people to take with them after their visit 

to Phillipsburg Manor, what would it be? 

Interested in their answers? Read on! 

Helen Williams 

. Founding Member, 

Historic Hudson Valley 

African American Advisory Board 

. Educator 

. Member, American Women 

of African Heritage and Links, 

Greater Hudson Valley Chapter 

. Resident of Millwood 

1Because the subject is so often not part of school curriculum except rather 

superficially during Black History Month. Also, because racism continues 

to exist in our society, knowing the history of how slavery evolved and was 

maintained in the north hopefully will give insight and understanding and 

result in changing negative attitudes towards African Americans. 

The staff of Philipsburg Manor, the administration of Historic Hudson 

Valley, and the African-American Advisory Board continue to exhibit a 

commitment to telling the accurate story about the enslaved families at 

this site. As a person of color this is a positive. 

That slavery in the north did exist and the enslaved people at this site had 

important and essential responsibilities that made this site profitable for 

the owners. Also, the way in which the site’s buildings, gardens, animals, 

and costumed interpreters depict, as accurately as possible, life as it existed 

at Philipsburg Manor during the colonial era. 

1 

2 3 

2 

3 

Lynda Jones 




. Independent Management Consultant 

. Board Member, Croton-Harmon Board 

of Education and local chapter of 

League of Women Voters 

. Resident of Croton-on-Hudson 

One cannot honestly talk about the history of the United States of America 

without discussing the institution of slavery in the United States of America. 

Slavery, a system that was in direct conflict with the democratic principles of this 

country, was a complex, international enterprise designed to maximize profits. 

From the early 1600s until the Civil War, millions of individuals were shipped 

to the Americas destined to become enslaved by plantation owners. During this 

same time, strict laws were passed throughout the U.S. severely restricting the 

movement and status of the enslaved and some free blacks as well. 

Slavery has shaped every aspect of this country – economic, cultural, 

and social. The legacy of slavery remains with us today. It is impossible 

to systematically oppress a group of people for several hundred years and 

expect them or their oppressors to walk away unscathed. The scars left by 

slavery have affected and continue to affect United States society today. 

Why is it important for people to talk about slavery? Slavery is not 

about African-American history, but American history. It is a part of our 

history that most of us would rather not discuss. The simple fact that African-Americans 

have been enslaved in this country more years than we 

have been free should provide sufficient reason to focus on this issue. The 

wounds, misunderstandings and negative impact of the past have not disappeared 

from our daily life as some would like to believe. We need to 

encourage dialog amongst all members of society. 

One of the goals of Philipsburg Manor is to dispel many myths associated 

with slavery. Myths such as slaves were lazy, uneducable, unskilled, 

subhuman, intellectually and culturally inferior and without a 

moral/social foundation. We present to the public the important role 

that the enslaved played in building this country. We note that the 23 

enslaved men, women and children who lived on the property were not 

destined for servitude but possessed skills that were in great demand 

by slaveholders. Use of higher mathematics and knowledge of European 

languages enabled Caesar, the miller at Philipsburg Manor, to manage 

the successful wheat production for the Philipse family. We present the 

various forms of resistance that the enslaved employed as a result of 

unfavorable treatment by the slaveholders. We are fortunate to have 

many primary source documents that enable us to present historically 

accurate information to the public and convey the complexities of slavery 

in a non-threatening way. Historic Hudson Valley and Philipsburg 

Manor are recognized internationally as being on the cutting edge of 

presenting the story of slavery in the north. As one of my colleagues 

states: “Philipsburg is where the dialog begins.”. 

I would like the public to leave Philipsburg Manor feeling energized and 

empowered. Energized by the presentations and the messages conveyed 

and empowered by the knowledge they gained as a result of their experience. 

Hopefully, they will encourage their friends, colleagues and family to 

visit Philipsburg Manor and also encourage them to seek additional information 

about slavery in the north.


13 

. . 

With the Historic Hudson Valley African American Advisory Board 

1 

2 

3 

Phyllis Murray 




. Educator, Author 

. Resident Of Scarsdale 

The contributions of Africans in America are quite often omitted from 

local, national, and world history texts. Thus, American History evolves 

as nothing more than the telling of half of the story. And as we must 

know, telling half of a story is nothing more than a lie, a myth, or a tall 

tale. This skewed version of American History may make descendants of 

Europeans feel better about the past, but it leaves the descendants of Africans 

with a void that can only be filled once African-American History 

is infused into American History. 

A walk along the Philipsburg Manor Upper Mills path in Sleepy Hollow, 

NY, is a walk through history. And this walk is taken often by members 

of the African American Advisory Board. Something must be said about 

the ability of Philipsburg Manor Upper Mills to draw a cadre of African- 

American professionals to its site again and again. These members have 

volunteered to work in a concerted effort to support, direct and reshape 

the current reinterpretation of Philipsburg Manor. Perhaps it is their urgent 

need to reflect and document the contributions of African Americans 

in America. This is part of a larger national phenomenon as African Americans 

contribute to a new wave of research, texts, monuments and film that 

celebrate the early African presence of their ancestors. 

The Philipse family used the free labor of its residing community of enslaved 

Africans to enrich themselves. The mills provided the natural and 

technical resources for the thriving business. The enslaved laborers were 

not mere chattel; they had names and occupations and provided a vital 

service to their owner and to their community. 

What do the following quotes mean? 

Which quote has the most meaning to you? Why? 

No man can put a chain about the ankle of his 

fellow man without at last finding the other 

end fastened about his own neck. 

—Frederick Douglass 

There is no king who has not had a slave among his 

ancestors and no slave who has not had a king among his. 

—Helen Keller 

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel 

a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. 

—Abraham Lincoln 

1 

2 

3 

Jim Taylor 




. Retired Elementary School Principal 

. Part-Time Cooper, Philipsburg Manor 

. Amateur Historian, 

African-American Military History 

. Resident of Cortlandt Manor 

Today many of our young people, and many adults as well, have little or 

no idea of the African-American experience in the history of this country. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, we are now 

a more racially tolerant culture, which does not openly focus on racial or 

ethnic differences, as was the norm in the past. As a result, people are not 

cognizant of the institution of slavery that thousands of African Americans 

experienced in the first two hundred and fifty years of our country’s history, 

in spite of the recent efforts of so many writers and filmmakers to tell the 

story. To many, the image of black slaves bent over picking cotton on huge 

southern plantations is representative of slavery in general. They have no 

understanding of how or why slavery was promulgated in the first place. 

Phillipsburg Manor is one of the few “living history” museums that portray 

a realistic view of slavery in the north during the development of colonial 

America. As a part-time interpreter at Phillipsburg Manor, I am continually 

amazed at the questions I am asked by visitors to the site. Some have done 

their “homework” in a sense and know something about the site and its role 

in the growth of our nation, but most still see the plantation and are surprised 

by the skills and the resilience the enslaved had in negotiating their 

daily lives as chattel owned by an absentee owner at the site of a profitable 

mill and farm. 

Recent studies of slavery in the United States have exposed numerous facts 

that dispel the image of enslaved individuals as passive and lacking skills. In 

my role on site as a cooper (a person who makes wooden buckets and barrels), 

I am proud to demonstrate the skills that enslaved people possessed in 

1750 to produce such products. Visitors leaving Philipsburg Manor should 

have a truer picture of the history of slavery in America, especially of the 

lives of the enslaved in the northern states. My enslaved ancestors led productive 

lives in spite of being subjected to the dark specter of slavery. 

Today many people look 

back at history and think: 

Discuss This! 

“How could people have 

allowed an institution like 

slavery to exist and persist 

for hundreds of years?” One 

hundred years from now, do 

you think people might have the same feeling about institutions 

and laws that exist in today’s world? Which ones and why? 

The Ibo in eastern Nigeria (Africa) have a saying: “Until lions 

have their own historians, tales of the hunt will always glorify the 

hunter.” Explain what this means, and think about how this might 

affect our understanding of the institution of slavery.

14 


Philipsburg Manor is Part of a Local Network of Historic Sites . . . 

Washington Irving’s 

Sunnyside 

A 

visit to Sunnyside is an enchanted adventure 

in a romantic landscape with a much-loved 

riverside home that has been charming guests 

for generations. Visitors today hear about Washington 

Irving’s storied past and how he came to be 

America’s first internationally famous author, best remembered 

now for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 

and other short stories. His characters, from Brom 

Bones and Ichabod Crane to the mysterious Headless 

Horseman and the comic Rip Van Winkle, are 

icons in American culture. 

A gently curved path leads to gorgeous views of 

the Hudson River and reveals the allure of Sunnyside’s 

unusual architecture, a smorgasbord of ideas 

Irving picked up while living in Europe. 

Guides wearing period dress explain how Washington 

Irving designed Sunnyside and its grounds himself, 

collaborating with his neighbor, the artist George 

Harvey. Beginning in 1835, 

he expanded a small cottage 

in stages, combining 

his sentimental interests in 

the architecture of colonial 

New York and buildings he 

knew in Scotland and Spain. 

The house became a threedimensional 

autobiography. 

The grounds reflect Washington Irving’s romantic 

view of art, nature, and history. He arranged garden 

paths, trees and shrubs, vistas, and water features to 

appear natural, and planted an exotic wisteria vine 

(still growing) to envelope the house. 

“It is a beautiful spot,” Irving wrote, “capable of 

being made a little paradise.” 

Sunnyside is open to the public weekends in 

March and daily except Tuesday from April to December. 

See www.hudsonvalley.org for information. 

Popular special events at Sunnyside include: 

May 13 Artists on Hudson – Watch more than a 

dozen artists capture Sunnyside on canvas 

and paper. 

July 4 Independence Day, 1856 – Celebrate the 

nation’s founding the 19th-century way. 

Sept. 9 Children’s Book Day – Meet dozens of 

children’s book authors and illustrators. 

Union Church of Pocantico Hills 

Stained glass windows by French masters Marc Chagall and Henri Matisee 

adorn this unassuming country church in the middle of Westchester 

County, just up the road from Kykuit. 

Visitors marvel at Matisse’s colorful Rose Window, his last work of art before 

his death in 1954. The commission, spearheaded by Nelson A. Rockefeller, honors 

the memory of his mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. Mrs. Rockefeller, one of the 

founders of the Museum of Modern Art, admired Matisse and collected his work. 

The glorious Good Samaritan window by 

Marc Chagall is a memorial to Abby Aldrich 

Rockefeller’s husband, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

Their son David Rockefeller masterminded the 

commission in 1963, which later expanded to 

include all eight windows in the nave of the 

church. Chagall and members of the Rockefeller 

family carefully selected the subject matter 

for the windows from Biblical texts. 

The Union Church is open to the public 

daily except Tuesday from April to December. 

See www.hudsonvalley.org for information. 

Nine windows by Marc Chagall, including the 

“Good Samaritan” shown here, and Henri Matisse’s 

last work of art, the “Rose Window,” are on display 

at the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. 

Above: The lush, romantic, slightly wild 

landscape of Sunnyside, Washington Irving’s 

beloved homestead, has attracted visitors 

for more than 150 years. 

Left: Independence Day celebrations at 

Sunnyside feature a variety of fun activities 

and performers, such as juggler Will Shaw. 

Van Cortlandt Manor 

Children and adults can learn 18th-century crafts 

at this historic site devoted to the New Nation 

period, just following the Revolutionary War. 

The site of Westchester 

County’s biggest Halloween 

event, The Great Jack O’ Lantern 

Blaze, Van Cortlandt Manor 

was the homestead of one of colonial 

New York’s most prominent 

families. The family faced and influenced 

pressing political issues 

of the time, including Federalist 

and Anti-Federalist debates over 

the drafting of the constitution. 

They also grappled with religious 

change following the rise of evangelical 

religions and had to confront 

the controversy over emancipation, 

since they were slaveholders. These issues, along with everyday life and 

social activities of the period, are explored at Van Cortlandt Manor. 

Costumed guides demonstrate and invite visitors to try their own hands 

at blacksmithing, brick making, open-hearth cooking, spinning, weaving, and 

other crafts and tasks of the period, helping bring the past to life. 

Van Cortlandt Manor is open to the public daily except Tuesday from April to 

October, and on weekends in November and December. See www.hudsonvalley.org 

for information. 

Popular special events at Van Cortlandt Manor include: 

May 26-28 Animals and Acrobats – Experience all the wonder of an early 

American traveling circus. 

August 13 River Day – Hands-on activities include fishing, hearth cooking, 

and brick making, plus modern boat building and chances to 

test drive a kayak. 

Selected The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze – More than 3,000 

October hand-carved pumpkins delight all ages in this elaborate, 

evenings artistic display.


15 

Kykuit, 

The Rockefeller Estate 

This hilltop paradise was built by John D. Rockefeller, 

founder of Standard Oil, and his son, John 

D. Rockefeller, Jr. JDR’s business acumen made 

him, in his day, the richest man in America. Now a 

historic site of the National Trust, this extraordinary 

landmark has been continuously and meticulously 

maintained for almost 100 years. 

Tours include the main rooms of the six-story 

stone house, as well as the expansive, terraced gardens 

containing Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller’s 

exceptional collection of 20th-century sculpture. Artists 

represented include Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, 

Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, and David Smith, 

among many others. The private, underground art 

galleries with Governor Rockefeller’s collection of 

Picasso tapestries, and the cavernous Coach Barn, 

with its collections of classic automobiles and horsedrawn 

carriages, are also part of the experience. 

On each tour, guides share many stories that 

highlight the lives of Rockefeller family members and 

their contributions to philanthropy, conservation, 

business, government, and the arts. 

Public tours at Kykuit are administered by Historic 

Hudson Valley, and include a variety of options catering 

to all tastes and time budgets. Each tour begins 

at the Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor, where 

you’ll board a shuttle bus for a short ride to the estate. 

The most elaborate visitation experience is the 

three-hour Grand Tour, which shows off every stunning 

feature of this early 20th-century masterpiece. 

Kykuit is open to the public from May 12 through 

Nov. 4. Tours take place daily except Tuesdays. You 

can buy tickets online at www.hudsonvalley.org, or 

by calling 914-631-9491. 

Completed in 1913, Kykuit was home to four generations of Rockefellers 

and is a preeminent Hudson Valley landmark. For lovers of architecture, 

gardens, art, history, and spectacular scenery, a trip to Kykuit is unparalleled. 

Kykuit’s elaborate, terraced 

gardens are studded with works 

of art by modern masters, such 

as Black Sun by Isamu Noguchi, 

shown here. 

Below: A view of the Inner Garden 

fountains, with the Aristede 

Maillol sculpture Bather Putting 

Up Her Hair in the distance. 

Montgomery 

Place 

Montgomery Place is 

best known as a landscape 

influenced by the 

great Andrew Jackson Downing 

and an architectural landmark 

designed by Alexander Jackson 

Davis. The 434-acre property is 

an amazingly intact example of 

Hudson Valley estate life. Each of 

the estate’s features has a story to 

tell about changing American attitudes 

toward nature, landscape, 

and home design over time. 

You can walk the woodland 

The formal gardens at Montgomery Place 

have undergone extensive restoration in 

recent years. 

trails, laid out over a hundred years ago through a hemlock and mixed hardwood 

forest, to the cascading waterfalls of the Saw Kill. 

Picturesque and productive orchards border the estate, and in season you can 

purchase the delicious fruit at the Montgomery Place Orchards Farm Stand. 

The grounds of Montgomery Place are open to the public weekends from 

May to October; the manor house is currently closed for renovations. See www. 

hudsonvalley.org for information. 

Become a member and save! 

Members of Historic Hudson Valley get unlimited admission to five historic 

sites and all special events, plus discounted admission to Kykuit. It’s the best 

way to explore the area’s history and attend events like the Blaze. Go to 

www.hudsonvalley.org and click “join,” or call 914-631-8200 Ext. 612. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You Are Invited to Visit Them All 

All images on pages 14 and 15 by Bryan Haeffele

Thank you. 

Photo by Karen Sharman 

TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSOR: 

Your commitment to education has made it possible for 60,000 students in 

Westchester, Rockland and Putnam to receive copies of The Journal News and this 

special Newspaper in Education supplement. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. 

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Slavery in the Lower Hudson Valley - The Journal News

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