A Black History of Colonial New York Exhibit

In honor of the Pinkster season through Juneteenth weekend, join the beautiful Gothic Chamber of Philipse Manor Hall for this temporary exhibit on the earliest Black History of New Netherland and colonial New York. Explore the lives of free and enslaved people in New Netherland, including Juan Rodriguez and the “Land of the Blacks.” Learn about the Hudson Valley’s and in particular Westchester County’s role in provisioning the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. Follow accounts of resistance to slavery in New York, including rebellions and self-emancipation. Learn about Philipse Manor Hall’s unique role in the Philipsburg Proclamation, which offered freedom for thousands of enslaved people behind British lines. And explore the role of people of African descent on both sides of the Revolution, and how wealthy enslavers like George Washington failed to recover emancipated Black Loyalists after the war.