From Slavery to Freedom
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum is pleased to sponsor a presentation by Dr. Myra B. Armstead of Bard College entitled “From Slavery to Freedom: Blacks in Saratoga from the Colonial Period through Gradual Manumission.” Dr. Armstead has a deep understanding of African-American social and cultural life and is well known for her first book, Lord, Please Don’t Take Me in August, a comparative study of black life in the resort communities of Saratoga Springs, NY, and Newport, RI during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Her presentation will be held at the Dyer-Phelps Memorial AME Zion Church, 122 Crescent St. in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, September 10 at 10:30 am and is based on research supported by a collaboration between the Organization of American Historians and the National Parks Service. “Dr. Armstead’s research is part of an effort to focus on the diversity of the actors in the drama of our nation’s founding as we prepare for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution,” said Sean Kelleher, Vice President of the History Center and Saratoga Town Historian.
Prior to 1791, Saratoga County was a part of Albany County, and African captives were brought into the area to work as enslaved laborers on lands and in businesses owned by the Anglo-Dutch settler population. “This talk will focus on slavery and slaveholding, mainly from 1702 to 1805, on the Saratoga Patent lands owned by the Schuyler family in Old Saratoga,“ said Dr. Armstead. It will also cover the period between 1799 and 1827 when statewide gradual manumission occurred and the impact of this emancipation scheme in the county.
The Saratoga History Center recently opened an exhibit entitled “Black Experiences in Saratoga County 1750-1950,” which can be viewed at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa from Thursday to Sunday 1pm – 5pm through November. “We are excited to welcome Myra Armstead back to Saratoga Springs. Since her original research trips when she interviewed many members of our community for her book, she has continued to participate in local events over the years,” said Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Saratoga Springs City Historian.
Dr. Myra Young Armstead is a tenured senior faculty member in the History Department at Bard College, where she has taught for 36-plus years, and she holds an endowed chair. She received her doctorate in History from the University of Chicago, where she interned under the late Dr. John Hope Franklin and concentrated in three fields—U.S. urban history, U.S. diplomatic history, and African colonial history. She holds a Masters in International Relations with a concentration in African Affairs from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors from Cornell University, where she majored in Government.
The Dyer-Phelps Memorial AME Zion congregation, organized in 1862, is the oldest African- American church in Saratoga Springs. The church, which was located for many years on Maple Avenue before relocating to its new edifice on Crescent Street in 1975, is led by Rev. Michael Bell.
Seating is limited. Please pre-register for this event at
The Saratoga County History Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the diverse histories of Saratoga County. In addition to Brookside Museum, the History Center offers a variety of innovative, exciting, and educational programming. Please visit the website (www.brooksidemuseum.org) and social media accounts (@SaratogaCoHistory) for news and announcements.
Photos: Myra B. Armstead
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