SCC Bicentennial

On September 27, 2020 the Town of Smithfield and the Smithfield Community Association in Peterboro NY announced the commencement of SCC 200 MORE, a year-long commemoration of the 200 year-old Smithfield Community Center. Built as a Presbyterian Church in 1820, the building has also served as a school, and currently as the town municipal building and the home of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1835 the structure was the site of the inaugural meeting of the New York State Antislavery Society. Many educational, political, and social events have been held within its original walls in its two hundred years.


The Smithfield Community Center was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1994, designated as one of twenty-four sites on the Heritage NY Underground Railroad Trail in 2004, featured as the image of the Madison County Freedom Trail in 2006, and a partner of the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State in 2015.

   T.J. Stokes, Supervisor Town of Smithfield, issued a proclamation summarizing the history of the building, called forth those who cherish the building to gather memories and ideas to share and to publish, and encouraged interested parties to assemble resources to assure another two hundred years for the building.

Smithfield Community Center as a school:  Donna Dorrance Burdick, Town of Smithfield historian, provided a timeline of the Smithfield Community Center (SCC) which has served as a church, school, and municipal building in its 200 years.


T.J. Stokes, Supervisor of Town of Smithfield, and Nell Ziegler, President of Smithfield Community Association, Peterboro NY invite all to engage in the 200th Anniversary of the Smithfield Community Center

William Evans: Donna Dorrance Burdick, Town of Smithfield historian explained why the Smithfield Community Center was at one time called the Evans Academy.


Senator Rachel May and Assemblyman John Salka issued proclamations for the Smithfield Community Center, and personally read those proclamations for the September 27 launch of the year-long campaign.

Senator Rachel May

Assemblyman John Salka


Stay tuned throughout the year for more presentations, stories, and events honoring this landmark of American History located in Peterboro NY. For more information: www.PeterboroNY.org or 315-280-8828. Send questions, ideas, pictures, and memories to Info@peterborony.org or to Smithfield Community Association, PO. Box 6, Peterboro NY 13134.

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PO Box 6, Peterboro, NY 13134

‭(315) 308-1890‬