Peterboro - home of the Abolitionist movement

Go UNDERGROUND at Peterboro - a prominent chapter of the abolitionist movement

Just about 25 miles southeast of Syracuse lies the historic hamlet of Peterboro. Settled in 1795, Peterboro was named after wealthy land dealer, Peter Smith. His youngest son, Gerrit Smith, was a generous philanthropist, expending large sums of money on many causes from education to women’s rights but his first and foremost concern was the abolition of slavery.


Peterboro and the Smith estate become a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1830s with conductors such as Harriet Tubman guiding the fugitives.
 

The Smith estate also served as an important meeting place for abolitionists from both New York and other parts of the country, including John Brown and Frederick Douglass.


Some of the village’s notable attractions include the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum. 
 

 

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