Documents associated with slavery in East Hampton are on display in the East Hampton Library lobby in an exhibit curated by Andrea Meyer and Mayra Scanlon of its Long Island Collection.
Slavery was legal in New York State until 1827. The materials include manumission records, as well as day books from tradesmen indicating work done by and for enslaved East Hampton residents and free people of color.
One display case is dedicated to the Plain Sight Project, a joint research undertaking by The East Hampton Star and the library to quantify slavery and tell the stories of the enslaved. Members of the Guild Hall Teen Arts Council have begun collaborating with the Plain Sight Project on several planned memorial efforts.
Another case focuses on slavery and people of color on Gardiner’s Island, demonstrating the role they played in the East End economy from the earliest colonial times through the 19th century. The exhibit will remain on view into March.
