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History of Freetown

Sat, 10/08/2022 - 07:42
The circa-1885 George and Sarah Melissa Fowler House, which has been preserved by the Town of East Hampton.
East Hampton Library Long Island Collection

Allison McGovern, an archaeologist and anthropology lecturer at Columbia University, will speak at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum about the origins of East Hampton's Freetown neighborhood, which Black and Indigenous people have called home for more than 200 years. Ms. McGovern has gathered oral histories from Freetown residents to document the neighborhood's beginnings and evolution.

The farm museum is on North Main Street in East Hampton at the corner of Cedar Street. Ms. McGovern's talk will be held in the shelter of the barn on the property in the event of rain.

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Recognizing Grossman’s Half-Century of Activism

Karl Grossman, an author and educator who has tirelessly advocated for the environment and journalism, and against nukes, will be honored on Saturday at the Sag Harbor Cinema in a fund-raiser hosted by Fred Thiele. 

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Item of the Week: Payment by the Yard, 1794

This weaver’s account book was kept by Benjamin Parsons, who began recording business transactions in 1794. His father was one of 49 weavers in East Hampton who signed the 1778 Loyalty Oath to the British.

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Stepping Up for Jamaica in Hurricane Melissa’s Wake

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