Winter Lecture Series: An Untold Story of Black & White Community Building on the Adirondack Frontier

  • Free and open to the public

The Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society 2024 Winter Lecture Series

The Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society is pleased to announce the first program for the 2024 Winter Lecture Series: An Untold History of Black and White Community-Building on the Adirondack Frontier, presented by Amy Godine, lecturer and author of the recently published Cornell University Press book, The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Frontier. The program will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts auditorium on Thursday, January 18th at 7 p.m.. You can also view the event at https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalMedia-LPNEHS on the Society’s new YouTube channel.

In An Untold History of Black and White Community-Building, Ms. Godine will discuss how historians have long noted the obstacles that stalled the progress of Gerrit Smith's Black pioneers in the mid-19th century -- among them, white racism, insufficient funding, and the homesteaders' lack of farm experience. Not so familiar are the stories of interracial dealings among settlers, Black and White, that spoke of meaningful alliances, common pursuits, and a shared devotion to this frontier world. Working with military pensions, land redemption records, and legal testimony, author Amy Godine shares some hopeful and revealing stories from an undervalued legacy of sociability and mutual respect. The event includes a book signing at the end of the program.

Other upcoming programs in this year’s Winter Lecture Series:

  • Thursday, February 15th: NYS Ranger History in the Forest Preserve & Rescue Stories Along the Way, presented by Kevin Burns, Captain of the NYS DEC Forest Rangers for District 5.
  • Thursday, March 21th: Get Down & Dirty: Farming in the Adirondacks, a panel discussion presented by local farmers.
  • Thursday, April 18th: Lake Placid Steamboats, Fancy Hotels, and the Gilded Age, an all-new historical photo tour presented by RJ Potter, retired radio and television broadcaster and former educator.

All 2024 Winter Lecture Series programs are free and open to the public and will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts auditorium.

For more information, please contact the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society at  (518) 523-3830, email: info@lakeplacidhistory.com or visit the website at www.lakeplacidhistory.com/