Blacks in the Adirondacks: A History

Blacks in the Adirondacks: A History tells the story of the many African Americans who settled in or passed through this rural, mountainous region of northeastern New York State. In the area for a variety of reasons, some were lifetime residents, while others were there for a few years or months--as summer employees, tuberculosis patients, or in connection with full- or part-time occupations in railroading, the performing arts, and baseball.

From blacks who settled on land gifted to them by Gerrit Smith, a prosperous landowner and fervent abolitionist, to those who worked as waiters in resort hotels, Svenson chronicles their rich and varied experiences, with an emphasis on the 100 years between 1850 and 1950. Many experienced racism and isolation in their separation from larger black populations; some found a sense of community in the scattered black settlements of the region. In this first definitive history, Svenson gives voice to the many blacks who spent time in the Adirondacks and sheds light on their challenges and successes in this remote region.

Author: Sally E. Svenson
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 11/24/2017
Pages: 376
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.61lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780815635550

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2018

About the Author
Sally E. Svenson is an independent scholar. She is the author of Adirondack Churches: A History of Design and Building.