Uncovering the History of Slavery and Antislavery in the Mid-Hudson Valley

Since 2006 the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project (MHAHP) has brought together researchers, educators, community leaders, and members of the public to:

  • Conduct and synthesize research on the history of slavery and antislavery in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley
  • Interpret and share this history with a wide array of residents and visitors in our region
  • Place this local history in the broader contexts of racial slavery in the New World, the African American experience, and the legacy of slavery today

Throughout the Hudson Valley, the landscape was shaped by New York’s two centuries of slavery. The region made a more concentrated use of enslaved labor than almost any area in the North. But the region also was a center of abolitionist activity that was often led by local Free Blacks. Across the region are places where people of African descent lived, worked, and sought and won their freedom from slavery, served as conductors on the Underground Railroad, and spoke out for freedom and justice.

Today, the legacies of racial slavery continue to haunt us, yet the history of slavery and its opposition is little-known and often hidden. The Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project is dedicated to uncovering this essential part of our past and bringing it into full public view. An important part of our work is to advance the knowledge and understanding of the role of the Underground Railroad in this history,

MHAHP meets regularly. We welcome your participation! If you are interested in attending our meetings, please contact us at info@mhahp.vassarspaces.net.

Donate today

Support our work

News & Views

  • For more on all events, click here.
  • On Thursday, January 29 at 7:00PM, MHAHP will be speaking at the Town of Poughkeepsie Senior Center (14 Abe’s Way) on African Americans During the Revolution. The lecture is free to attend and no registration is required.
  • On Monday, February 9 at 5:30PM, the Oh, Freedom Quilting Project will host an event at the Kent Public Library for families with children ages 6-12, in which participants will learn about Hudson Valley history and heroes, and create a fabric square. To register, call 845-225-8585 or go to www.kentlibrary.org.
  • On Wednesday, February 11 at 7:00PM, Sarah Wassberg Johnson will lecture on Freedom Behind British Lines: Black Loyalists in New York at the Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site and online via Zoom. The lecture is free both in-person and online. To register, call 914-965-4027 or email philipsemanorhall@parks.ny.gov.
  • On Thursday, February 19 at 7:00PM, MHAHP will be presenting at the Beacon Sloop Clubhouse as part of the Beacon Sloop Club’s 2026 Alan Thomas Memorial Environmental Lecture Series. The presentation is free and open to the public.
  • On Thursday, February 26 at 7:00PM, MHAHP will give a virtual lecture in collaboration with the Putnam History Museum on stories of local slavery and abolitionists, as well as the work of MHAHP. Registration is free for members and $10 for the general public. To register, click here.
  • The Oh, Freedom! Quilting Project is an ongoing project. We are looking volunteers and for organizations interested in creating a community quilt!
css.php