Date and Time
Sunday Jun 14, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
June 14, 2026 1pm
Location
Ogdensburg History Museum, 206 Ford St., Ogdensburg, NY
Fees/Admission
Free and open to the public
Contact Information
Julie Madlin
Send Email
Description
Abolitionists & the Underground Railroad
The Ogdensburg History Museum will host a public presentation by Town of DeKalb Historian Bryan Thompson on the deep, radical history of the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad in St. Lawrence County.
The event will take place on Sunday, June 14, at 1:00 PM at the museum, located at 206 Ford Street. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Thompson, an expert on regional history, will present his original research through a comprehensive timeline spanning nearly a century. The lecture will detail how early settlers brought enslaved people to clear local lands in 1802, the rise of religious radicalism like "Comeouterism," and the county's ultimate transformation into a vital corridor for freedom seekers escaping to Canada after the British Empire abolished slavery in 1834.
"Our local history is deeply intertwined with the national struggle for human rights," said [Insert Name/Title of Museum Spokesperson]. "Bryan Thompson’s research highlights the brave local ministers, voters, and political figures who pushed back against oppressive laws, risking their livelihoods to create a safe haven in the North Country."
Key historical milestones highlighted in the presentation include:
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The Power of the Pulpit: The influence of revivalists like the Rev. Charles Finney, who introduced "Comeouterism"—the belief that good Christians must completely separate from anyone supporting slavery—and Black ministers like the Rev. Charles Bowles, who organized strongly abolitionist churches in Hopkinton.
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Political Rebellion: The rise of the anti-slavery Liberty and Free Soil parties in local towns like Bucks Bridge and Canton, culminating in North Country Congressman Preston King’s historic break from the Democratic Party to join the newly formed Republican Party.
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A Media War: The history of regional abolitionist newspapers, including The Laborer in Gouverneur and the founding of the St. Lawrence Plaindealer as an anti-slavery campaign tool.
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The Freedom Trail: The first documented account of a freedom seeker escaping through St. Lawrence County, published in The Colored American in 1837.
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how St. Lawrence County evolved into a region where 75% of voters backed the anti-slavery presidential candidate by 1856. A question-and-answer session will follow the lecture.
For more information about the event, visit the museum website or contact the museum directly.
About the Ogdensburg History Museum
The Ogdensburg History Museum is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and sharing the diverse history of Ogdensburg and the surrounding St. Lawrence County community through educational programming, exhibits, and public events.
About Bryan Thompson
Bryan Thompson serves as the official Town Historian for DeKalb, New York. He is a prominent local researcher specializing in the nineteenth-century social movements, religious revivals, and anti-slavery networks of the New York North Country.
