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((THOMAS))DURING THE 1830'S
ONEIDA COUNTY PLAYED A
SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. OUR
JAZZMYN ALLEN HAS ANOTHER LOOK
AT OUR AREA'S UNIQUE HISTORY.
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THE TOUR STARTS ON BLEECKER
STREET AT WHAT USED TO BE THE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. IN
OCTOBER OF 1835, 600 DELEGATES
FROM ACROSS THE STATE MET HERE
TO ORGANIZE THE NEW YORK STATE
ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. BUT IT
WAS INTERUPPTED BY A CROWD OF
ANTI-ABOLITIONISTS. THIS WENT
ON TO BE CALLED THE 1835 UTICA
RIOT.
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THE NEXT STOP IS ON POST
STREET, WHERE MOST OF UTICA'S
BLACK RESIDENTS LIVED WELL
INTO THE 1900'S. A LOT OF
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD ACTIVITY
ALSO TOOK PLACE HERE.THERE'S A
VERY FAMOUS ARTICLE THAT WAS
PUBLISHED LOCALLY AND THEN
PICKED UP BY A NEW YORK
NEWSPAPER ABOUT A FAMILY WHO
CAME THROUGHOUT HERE ON THE
UNDERGROUND, AS THE ARTICLE
SAYS. AND FOUND SAFETY HERE ON
POST STREET BEFORE THEY WERE
GIVEN PASSAGE AND HELPED TO
CONTINUE NORTH. UP NEXT IS THE
ONEIDA COUNTY COURTHOUSE WHERE
JUDGE CHESTER HAYDEN, A
PROMINENT FIGURE IN THE UTICA
RESCUE, WORKED AS THE COUNTY'S
JUDGE. NEARBY IS DEVEREUX
BLOCK, WHERE WELSEY BAILEY,
THE PROPRIETOR AND PUBLISHER
OF THE ABOLTIONIST LIBERTY
PRESS, HARBORED FREEDOM SEEKRS
AND PRODUCED ABOLITIONIST
NEWSPAPERS THROUGHOUT THE
REGION. THEN COMES 203 GENESSE
STREET WHICH WAS WILLIAM
BLAIKIE'S HOME AND APOTHECARY,
WHERE HE ALSO SHELTERED
RUNAWAY SLAVES DESPITE
RECIEVING ANTI-ABOLITIONIST
THREATS. NEXT IS MECHANICS
HALL, WHICH STILL STANDS
TODAY, WAS THE CIVICS CENTER
OF THE COMMUNITY.AND MANY VERY
FAMOUS ABOLTIONSIT SPOKE THERE.
ELIZABETH CADY STANTON SPOKE
THERE, FREDERICK DOUGLASS. IF
YOU'VE EVER SEEN 12 YEARS A
SLAVE, SOLOMON NORTHUP SPOKE
HERE AFTER HE WAS RESCUED. THE
TOUR CONCLUDES ON GENESSEE
STREET AT WHAT USED TO BE
JUDGE HAYDEN'S OFFICE. IN
DECEMEBER OF 1836, 2 FUGITIVE
SLAVES FROM VIRGINIA WERE
BEING HELD THERE AND AWAITING
TRAIL. LATER THAT NIGHT A
CROWD OF RESIDENTS BROKE INTO
THE BUILDING AND RESCUED THE 2
MEN TO FREEDOM. THE NATIONAL
PARK SERVICE OFFICIALLY
RECOGNIZES THIS AS A NATIONAL
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SITE.
REPORTING IN UTICA, JAZZMYN
ALLEN EYEWITNESS NEWS.
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((THOMAS))WE HAVE TOLD YOU
ABOUT THE FIRST OCCUPANT OF
THE STRUCTURE THAT HOUSED
