Peterboro, New York
Encyclopedia
Peterboro, located about twenty-five miles southeast of Syracuse
, New York
, is a historic hamlet situated in the Town of Smithfield
, Madison County
, New York.
's who built his fortune in the fur trade, founded Peterboro, naming the town after himself. Smith moved his family to Peterboro in 1804 and built the family home there.
, took over his father's, Peter Smith, Sr.'s, business interests, managing his family's property holdings in the town and the surrounding area. The Peterboro Land Office
was built as the office for these activities.
Gerrit Smith's commitment to both the abolition and temperance movements led to the Smith estate in Peterboro becoming a stop on the underground railroad and to Smith building one of the first temperance hotels in the country in Peterboro. The Smith estate also served as an important meeting place for abolitionists from both New York and other parts of the country, including John Brown
and Frederick Douglass
.
In 2001, the Gerrit Smith Estate
was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Peterboro Land Office
building and Smithfield Presbyterian Church
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, is a historic hamlet situated in the Town of Smithfield
Smithfield, New York
Smithfield is a town in Madison County, New York, USA. The town is named after Peter Smith, an original land owner.The Town of Smithfield is located in the center of the county.- History :The region was first settled around 1797....
, Madison County
Madison County, New York
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,442. It is named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America...
, New York.
Founding
In 1795, Peter Smith, Sr., a partner of John Jacob AstorJohn Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
's who built his fortune in the fur trade, founded Peterboro, naming the town after himself. Smith moved his family to Peterboro in 1804 and built the family home there.
Gerrit Smith
In the 1820's, Gerrit SmithGerrit Smith
Gerrit Smith was a leading United States social reformer, abolitionist, politician, and philanthropist...
, took over his father's, Peter Smith, Sr.'s, business interests, managing his family's property holdings in the town and the surrounding area. The Peterboro Land Office
Peterboro Land Office
The Peterboro Land Office is located in the hamlet of Peterboro, in the Town of Smithfield in Madison County, New York. The small, Federal style building was built in 1804. It was constructed of locally produced brick laid in flemish bond on the facade and common bond elsewhere. The main room is...
was built as the office for these activities.
Gerrit Smith's commitment to both the abolition and temperance movements led to the Smith estate in Peterboro becoming a stop on the underground railroad and to Smith building one of the first temperance hotels in the country in Peterboro. The Smith estate also served as an important meeting place for abolitionists from both New York and other parts of the country, including John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
and Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
.
In 2001, the Gerrit Smith Estate
Gerrit Smith Estate
Gerrit Smith Estate, in Peterboro, New York, was a home of Gerrit Smith, 19th-century social reformer, abolitionist, and presidential candidate...
was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Peterboro Land Office
Peterboro Land Office
The Peterboro Land Office is located in the hamlet of Peterboro, in the Town of Smithfield in Madison County, New York. The small, Federal style building was built in 1804. It was constructed of locally produced brick laid in flemish bond on the facade and common bond elsewhere. The main room is...
building and Smithfield Presbyterian Church
Smithfield Presbyterian Church
Smithfield Presbyterian Church, also known as: Evans Academy; Town Hall; Peterboro Union School; and Peterboro Elementary School, is a historic Presbyterian church located on Pleasant Valley Road between Elizabeth and Park Streets in Peterboro, Madison County, New York. It was built in 1820.It was...
are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Other Notable Residents
- Elizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
, a founder of the women's rights movement and cousin of Gerrit Smith's on his mother's side, met her husband, Henry B. StantonHenry StantonHenry Brewster Stanton was a 19th century abolitionist and social reformer.-Biography:Stanton was born in Preston, Connecticut, the son of Joseph Stanton and Susan M. Brewster...
, there in 1839.
- George PackGeorge PackGeorge Pack, Jr. was a businessman, landowner, sawmill operator, and postmaster in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The town of Pack's Mills of which he was also postmaster, was named after him.Pack had moved to Michigan from upstate New York in 1848...
, his wife Maria Lathrop, and family resided in Peterboro in the late 1830s and early 1840s. From Peterboro, Pack went on to Michigan's Lower Peninsula where he founded the family's business interests in timber. Pack's son, George Willis PackGeorge Willis PackGeorge Willis Pack was a second-generation timberman in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. His father, George Pack had established two sawmills outside of Lexington, Michigan, in a place known as Pack's Mills. After years of working with his father, in 1860 George Willis Pack, together with John L...
, who was born in Peterboro, and grandson, Charles Lathrop PackCharles Lathrop PackCharles Lathrop Pack , a third-generation timberman, was "one of the five wealthiest men in America prior to World War I". He owed his good start in life to the success of his father, George Willis Pack, and grandfather, George Pack in the forestry sector. Growing up on Lake Huron in Michigan's...
, both became well-known timbermen in their own right.
External links
- The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark
- New York Stops on the Underground Railroad
- Historic Petersboro on the NYHistory.com website
- "George Willis Pack: A Name That Will Endure", A Virtual Exhibit, University of North Carolina at Asheville, August 2006