Norman K. Dann PhD, researcher and biographer of members of the Gerrit Smith family of Peterboro, opens an eight program series The Gerrit Smith Family of Peterboro NY and the Crusade for Human Rights on Wednesday, May 7 at 4 pm at the Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134.
The first presentation is from research that Dann did for the biography Peter Smith: Furs, Land, and Anguish. Dann examines the life of Peter Smith after whom the hamlet of Peterboro and the Town of Smithfield were named. A billionaire by today's standards, Smith made his fortune in the 18th C. fur trade with his partner John Jacob Astor. His land speculation is the story of the Indian Land Claims made famous decades after he used deceptive means to assume ownership of millions of acres of New York State. Peter did not crusade for human rights, but the fortune that he amassed provided the funds for the philanthropic efforts of his progeny. Peter Smith's legacy is evident in the people and places that make up much of the State of New York. The Land Office that Peter Smith built in 1806 is one of the buildings on the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark which is open to the public during
open hours.
Norman K. Dann PhD, professor emeritus Morrisville State College, lives in Peterboro and is the head docent at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, a founder of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, treasurer of the Peterboro Area Museum, and has written ten books on Peterboro - including biographies of each of the Smiths.
This is the first in the series of eight programs presented on Wednesdays from 4 - 6 pm beginning May 7 at the Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134. The public is invited to partake of one, a few, or all the Wednesday
afternoon programs.
Due to challenges of funding cuts, admission is donation by cash, check, or credit card.
Peterboro Academy Certificates will be available in July. The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum are sites on the NYS Underground Railroad Trail and are both open Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer. The Peterboro Area Museum is also
open Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer.
Check information and updates on times and locations: www. PeterboroNY.org,
info@gerritsmith.org 315.308.1890