Stephen Myers and the Underground Railroad
2023-02-16 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Online
Join Mary Liz and Paul Stewart as they discuss Harriet and Stephen Myers, Black abolitionists whose residence was a headquarters for Underground Railroad activity in the Capital Region in the mid-1850’s. The Myers serve as a lasting legacy for social justice and reform.

Their home is now a museum and community place for gathering that serves as a reckoning space with the past, and also inspires future generations.
This virtual presentation is hosted by Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and is organized by David Brooks, Schoharie Crossing Education Director.
This virtual presentation will be available through Webex. Click HERE to access the Webex link. The Webex link will goes live at 6:50pm.

Black Authors in the Hudson Valley Book Talk - Janell Hobson and "When God Lost Her Tongue"
2023-02-17 17:30 - 18:30 | Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary, Shoppers Plaza - 145 Wolf Road, Albany, NY, 12205
This is a hybrid event via Zoom (link below) and in-person at Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary (address below)
When God Lost Her Tongue explores historical consciousness as captured through the Black feminist imagination that re-centers the perspectives of Black women in the African Diaspora, and revisits how Black women’s transatlantic histories are re-imagined and politicized in our contemporary moment.
Connecting select historical case studies – from the Caribbean, the African continent, North America, and Europe – while also examining the retelling of these histories in the work of present-day writers and artists, Janell Hobson utilizes a Black feminist lens to rescue the narratives of African-descended women, which have been marginalized, erased, forgotten, and/or mis-remembered. African goddesses crossing the Atlantic with captive Africans. Women leaders igniting the Haitian Revolution. Unnamed Black women in European paintings. African women on different sides of the “door of no return” during the era of the transatlantic slave trade. Even ubiquitous “Black queens” heralded and signified in a Beyoncé music video or a Janelle Monáe lyric. And then there are those whose names we will never forget, like the iconic Harriet Tubman.
This critical interdisciplinary intervention will be key reading for students and researchers studying African American women, Black feminisms, feminist methodologies, Africana studies, and women and gender studies. (https://www.routledge.com/When-God-Lost-Her-Tongue-Historical-Consciousness-and-the-Black-Feminist/Hobson/p/book/9780367198343)

Zoom link – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87387017444

Anti-Slavery in Columbia County and the Region
2023-02-20 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
Columbia County was an important and vibrant community in the first half of the 19th century. Temperance, reform movements and Underground Railroad activity were part of the antebellum period. Numerous freedom seekers, such as Peter Wheeler pictured here, made their way to the region, some to settle, some to find respite before moving on, knowing that support was available from abolitionists, both black and white, who made the region their home.
The Underground Railroad Education Center brings to the public the historically documented accounts of both freedom seekers and abolitionists, highlighting the leadership roles occupied by African Americans abolitionists, identifying who they were, what they did, where they engaged in their activities as they sought to ensure that the promises of our nation’s Declaration of Independence were available to all.
This virtual program is presented by the Underground Railroad Education Center in Albany and Hosted by the Columbia County Libraries Association.
To register email: columbiacountylibraries@gmail.com

The Underground Railroad: a New Interpretation of an Old Story
2023-02-26 11:30 - 12:30 | Messiah Lutheran Church, 2850 Guilderland Avenue, Schenectady, NY, 12306
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. In the midst of significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of enslavement in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom. Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center as they share a new interpretation of a very old story and explain the various initiatives in which Underground Railroad Education Center is engaged as it works to connect the public with this empowering local history and its relevance for us today.

The Underground Railroad Revisited
2023-03-01 10:00 - 11:30 | The Crossings, 580 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY, 12211

Homeschooler Tour
2023-03-02 13:00 - 14:00, 2023-03-17 14:00 - 15:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart and Amelia Paul at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence to learn the real story about the Underground Railroad. Hidey holes? Nope. Dark of night? Nope. Come ‘meet’ Stephen and Harriet Myers and their colleagues to learn about the challenges they faced as they worked to end the institution of enslavement in New York State and the nation and help Freedom Seekers to freedom.

The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, on Livingston Avenue in Albany’s Arbor Hill neighborhood, was a Capital Region hub for the Underground Railroad in the 1850s and assisted enslaved Black Americans seeking freedom.

“On Freedom Road: Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on the Underground Railroad” – book talk by author David Goodrich
2023-03-03 18:00 - 19:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
“Over the course of four years, I rode my bicycle 3,000 miles east of the Mississippi to travel the routes of the Underground Railroad and delve into the history and stories in the places where they happened. The traces of the Underground Railroad hide in plain sight: a great church in Philadelphia; a humble old house backing up to the New Jersey Turnpike; an industrial outbuilding in Ohio. I followed the most famous of conductors, Harriet Tubman, from where she was enslaved in Maryland, on the Eastern Shore, all the way to her family sanctuary at a tiny chapel in Ontario, Canada. Travelling South, I rode from New Orleans, where the enslaved were bought and sold, through Mississippi and the heart of the Delta Blues. I wandered through the Borderland along the Ohio River, a kind of no-mans-land between North and South in the years before the Civil War. Here, slave hunters roamed both banks of the river, trying to catch people as they fled for freedom. I rode to Oberlin, Ohio, a town that staunchly defended freedom seekers, embodied in the life of Lewis Leary, who was lost in the fires of Harpers Ferry, but whose spirit was reborn in the Harlem Renaissance.
I hope that On Freedom Road will enable you to see familiar places—New York and Philadelphia, New Orleans and Buffalo—in a very different light: from the vantage point of desperate people seeking to outrun the reach of slavery.” David Goodrich, Author
Join David Goodrich for his hybrid book talk to be held in-person at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence located at 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY 12210. For those unable to attend in-person, please use the following Zoom link below. Questions? Call 518-621-7793 or contact us via https://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/contact/ .
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting —

Topic: “On Freedom Road”
Time: Mar 3, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87421319083
Meeting ID: 874 2131 9083
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Collections Committee Planning Meeting
2023-03-09 18:00 - 19:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Do you like digging in the dirt? Researching? Drafting grant applications? Record keeping? Planning programs, exhibits, displays? Contributing to the development of the Collections Management System as we work to get our incredibly large collection of artifacts into a public facing, user friendly database? Planning and implementing International Archeology Day? Then this committee is for YOU!
This very active committee needs more volunteers to carry out its important work for UREC and for the community. Be part of the Collections Team!
Contact Paul Stewart at 518-621-7793 or via the UREC website at https://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/contact/ if interested in participating.
This is an in-person meeting held at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence located at 194 LIvingston Avenue, Albany 12210.

UREC Reads - The Dawning of the Apocalypse - ch. 2
2023-03-10 17:30 - 19:00 | Online via Zoom
Summary:
In retelling the bloodthirsty story of the invasion of the Americas, Horne recounts how the fierce resistance by Africans and their Indigenous allies weakened Spain and enabled London to dispatch settlers to Virginia in 1607.
Click HERE for more information about author and historian Gerald Horne.
Join with others for this virtual conversation about The Dawning of the Apocalypse by Gerald Horne. UREC Reads participants read 1-2 chapters each month and then gather electronically for an informal conversation about chapter content. An email is sent with a Zoom link on a monthly basis to all who indicate interest in UREC Reads. If you are interested in participating in UREC Reads, please send word via the UREC Contact page so that your email can be included on the UREC Reads email list.
Questions? Comments? Give us a call at 518-621-7793 or send a note via the Contact page on the UREC website.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdeiurTwiHd2wrBL8nL2OOkFVCt1Yo1FQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Copies of The Dawning of the Apocalypse are available for purchase at ABE Books for $17 + S/H. Your local library may also have copies available.
Reading Schedule –

March 10 – chapter 2
April 14 – chapter 3
May 12 – chapter 4
June 9 – chapter 5
July 14 – chapter 6
August 11 – chapter 7
September 8 – chapter 8

FBI Field Office Tour
2023-03-15 13:30 - 15:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Albany FBI Field Office staff will join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence to learn the real story about the Underground Railroad. Hidey holes? Nope. Dark of night? Nope. Come ‘meet’ Stephen and Harriet Myers and their colleagues to learn about the challenges they faced as they worked to end the institution of enslavement in New York State and the nation and help Freedom Seekers to freedom.

The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, on Livingston Avenue in Albany’s Arbor Hill neighborhood, was a Capital Region hub for the Underground Railroad in the 1850s and assisted enslaved Black Americans seeking freedom.

Siena College students - Myers Residence Tour Experience
2023-04-01 13:00 - 16:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Siena College freshman who are part of the First Year Seminar Program with Ann Godson-Glynn, Director of the Siena College Writing Center, will spend Saturday afternoon at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence for a tour experience. Interacting with facilitators of three learning stations, the students will develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of The Underground Railroad movement as he first civil rights movement the country. Integrated into their experience will be an opportunity to learn about the role of women in the Underground Railroad movement and experience some of the dial lived experience of our abolitionists. A writing station session will conclude the experience.
Interacting with history – a great way to learn!

UREC Library
2023-04-03 13:30 - 15:30, 2023-04-10 13:30 - 15:30 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with a highly skilled librarian and volunteers in bringing The Myers Residence Library to life! Numerous books have been donated over time and they need to be catalogued so that the library can be open for public use.
The Library Development team works together every Monday from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at The Myers Residence. No experience necessary. A love of learning is all that is needed.
The only exception to the Monday schedule is when a holiday falls on a Monday.
Call Mary Liz Stewart at 518-621-7793 and leave a message with a call back number expressing your interest in helping. Mary Liz will call you back to confirm your participation.

Albany High School Students Tour The Myers Residence
2023-04-06 10:00 - 11:30 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Albany High School students plan to tour The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence. Interacting with three learning station facilitators, the history of the Underground Railroad movement as it played out in New York State and the role of The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence in the movement, the role of women in the Underground Railroad movement, and the children’s experience in the Underground Railroad movement will be the focus of the tour. Everyone will leave with a booklet prepared by the staff at The Myers Residence the shares that stories of William and Ellen Craft and Stephen Myers.
A great way to learn history – be in the place where history happened!

UGRR Presentation at The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY
2023-04-06 14:00 - 15:30 | The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern NY, 95 Central Avenue, Albany, New York, 12206
Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center (dba) will present a new interpretation of an old story with an emphasis on legal cases and the law related to the Underground Railroad movement. Their seminal research brings forward the voices of people written out of this history and the first person accounts of Underground Railroad activists, highlighting the roles of African American abolitionists and freedom seekers. An intriguing and comprehensive examination of a transformational period in American history.

Albany Social Studies Teachers to Visit The Myers Residence
2023-04-07 08:00 - 10:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart and Amelia Paul at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence to learn the real story about the Underground Railroad. Hidey holes? Nope. Dark of night? Nope. Come ‘meet’ Stephen and Harriet Myers and their colleagues to learn about the challenges they faced as they worked to end the institution of enslavement in New York State and the nation and help Freedom Seekers to freedom while also addressing civil rights issues that are familiar to us today.

Dress for the weather as the tour can include outside time.

Girl Scouts of NENY Meet & Greet and Sign-Up
2023-04-08 13:00 - 16:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Girl Scouts of NENY are excited to start a troop that will meet at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence. Come on over on Saturday, April 8 between 1-4pm. Meet troop leaders. Sign up! Enjoy some Girl Scout activities. Bring your friends and relatives. Girls Scouts – make friends — have fun — find adventure — give back — lead your way — earn badges and awards.
RSVP Online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/girl-scout-green-gala-tickets-580862885527

DAR General Peter Gansevoort Chapter
2023-04-11 16:00 - 17:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join members of the DAR General Peter Gansvoort Chapter as they award Mary Liz Stewart their Women in American History DAR Award.
General Peter Gansevoort Chapter, NSDAR, is the proud owner since 2001 of the historic Van Schaick Mansion in Cohoes, New York.To learn more about the bravery and courage of the people of the region, we hope you will include our mansion as a site to visit when you come to the Capital Area of New York State. We are a nonprofit, nonpolitical women’s volunteer service organization. Any woman eighteen years and older who can trace her ancestry to a participant in the American Revolutionary War is welcome to join our membership. There are many ways in which members choose to do the work of the Society; our chapter members and friends are engaged in their communities conducting American History contests, mentoring youth in patriotic education, supporting veterans in local Veterans Hospitals, sponsoring naturalization ceremonies, and helping to preserve historical sites.
Learn more about the General Peter Ganswvoort Chapter of the DAR by clicking HERE

A New Interpretation of an Old Story presentation
2023-04-12 18:00 - 20:00 | John C. Hart Memorial Library, 1130 E. Main St., Schrub Oak, New York, 10588
Join Paul and Mary Liz Stewart at the John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak, New York for a presentation on their seminal Underground Railroad research.
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. In the midst of significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of enslavement in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom. Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center as they share a new interpretation of a very old story and explain the various initiatives in which Underground Railroad Education Center is engaged as it works to connect the public with this empowering local history and its relevance for us today.

Museum Association of NY Annual Conference
2023-04-14 08:00 - 2023-04-18 17:00 | Marriott Syracuse Downtown, 100 East Onondaga Street, Syracuse, New York, 13202
Museum Association of New York is holding its annual conference in Syracuse — Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement
Information about the conference can be accessed by clicking HERE
Information about Museum Association of New York can be accessed by clicking HERE
Hope to see you there!

UREC Library
2023-04-17 13:30 - 15:30 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with a highly skilled librarian and volunteers in bringing The Myers Residence Library to life! Numerous books have been donated over time and they need to be catalogued so that the library can be open for public use.
The Library Development team works together every Monday from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at The Myers Residence. No experience necessary. A love of learning is all that is needed.
The only exception to the Monday schedule is when a holiday falls on a Monday.
Call Mary Liz Stewart at 518-621-7793 and leave a message with a call back number expressing your interest in helping. Mary Liz will call you back to confirm your participation..

The Underground Railroad Revisited - NYSUT RC10 Annual Regional Conference
2023-04-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Stable Gate Winery, 12 LInda Way, Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, 12033
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. Amidst significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of enslavement in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom. Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center, will share a new interpretation of a very old story and explain the various initiatives in which the Underground Railroad Education Center is engaged in as it works to connect the public with this empowering local history and its relevance for us today.

FBI Albany Field Office Staff to Tour The Myers Residence
2023-04-19 13:30 - 15:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart and Amelia Paul at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence to learn the real story about the Underground Railroad. Hidey holes? Nope. Dark of night? Nope. Come ‘meet’ Stephen and Harriet Myers and their colleagues to learn about the challenges they faced as they worked to end the institution of enslavement in New York State and the nation and help Freedom Seekers to freedom.

The Underground Railroad Revisited presentation at Troy Area United Ministries Annual Dinner - join us
2023-04-25 18:00 - 21:00 | Congregation Berith Sholom, 167 3rd Street, Troy, New York, 12180
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. During significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of enslavement in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom.
Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center, will share a new interpretation of a very old story and explain the various initiatives in which the Underground Railroad Education Center is engaged in as it works to connect the public with this empowering local history and its relevance for us today.
Visit https://taum.org/ for information about the dinner and how you can participate. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Woodland Hills Montessori to visit The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence
2023-04-26 10:30 - 12:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart and Amelia Paul at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence to learn the real story about the Underground Railroad. Hidey holes? Nope. Dark of night? Nope. Come ‘meet’ Stephen and Harriet Myers and their colleagues to learn about the challenges they faced as they worked to end the institution of enslavement in New York State and the nation and help Freedom Seekers to freedom while also addressing civil rights issues that are familiar to us today.

Come dressed for the weather as there can be time spent outside.

Spring Clean-Up Honoring Earth Day at The Myers Residence
2023-05-06 12:00 - 16:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Put on the garden gloves, pick up the rake, and off you go! Would you prefer to work with clippers or a shovel? How about a lawn mower or pitch fork? Are you a gardener? Are you a carpenter? Maybe you like to wash windows? All sorts of garden and grounds activities fill up spring clean-up day in honor of Earth Day 2023. Join in the fun. Feel a sense of accomplishment! Help UREC be good stewards of its properties.
Refreshments and tools are provided. Bring your own tools if you have favorites that you like to use. Come for however long you can participate.
Our ‘Outhouse Moderne` provides restroom facilities.
Look forward to seeing you soon!
Questions? Call 518-621-7793.

Tabling at Historic Cherry Hill History Fair
2023-05-07 12:00 | Historic Cherry Hill, 523 1/2 S. Pearl St., Albany, NY, 12202
Join UREC at the annual Historic Cherry Hill History Fair scheduled for Sunday, May 7 from 12noon – 4pm.

Lens on Albany: the Art and History of Photography in the Capital City – more information is available by clicking HERE

Other vendors and tablers and presenters will be at the Fair, and tours of Cherry Hill will be available. A great way to spend Sunday!

M&T employees to volunteer at The Myers Residence Campus
2023-05-25 13:00 - 17:00 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with M&T volunteers on Thursday, May 25 in the grounds work that is so badly needed as we move into Spring. The generous rainfall has contributed to significant grass and weed growth around the campus, and the flower barrels and hoop house are hungry for attention. Join us from 1pm-5pm. Tools and light refreshments will be provided. Looking forward to seeing you on May 25!

Pinkster at Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
2023-06-03 11:00 - 16:00 | Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, 32 Catherine St., Albany, NY, 12202
Join with UREC on Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 11AM–4PM at Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site for Pinkster, a celebration of family, hope, and cultural identity. With roots dating to New York’s Dutch colonial period, this modern Pinkster festival is a way to recognize the importance of African cultural influences on music, dance, and identity during New York’s colonial and early American period. Pinkster is free and open to the public. The family-friendly festivities will feature musical performances by Yorkie Nelson from Ghana and The Pinkster Players, plus participatory dance, live music, fabric stamping, and food. In addition, there will be open house style tours of Schuyler Mansion and a special exhibition. Historically, Pinkster was an event that was shaped and developed over the 18th century by the cultural traditions brought to the Hudson River Valley by people from West and Central Africa and their descendants, who were enslaved by colonists. The holiday- which was originally a Dutch religious observance – evolved into a spring festival at which time enslaved men and women reunited with friends and loved ones to form their own new traditions in storytelling, music, dance, food – and the coveted selection of the Pinkster King.
