Tour with the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society: Freetown

Freetown was settled in the late 18^th and 19th century by free people of African and Native American descent, as well as people of European descent. Following the Emancipation Act of 1799, John Lyon Gardiner and other slaveholders in East Hampton set aside parts of their landholdings in Freetown to rent or sell to newly emancipated African Americans. Stretching roughly from Cedar Street to Morris Park Lane, the land was considered substandard for farming but close enough to East Hampton Village to provide a labor pool for wealthy residents. In the 19^th century, many Montauketts arrived in Freetown after being forced to leave Montauk when their land was dispossessed.

We’ll tour the area with Dr. Allison McGovern, an anthropological archaeologist, and make stops at the Fowler House, Calvary Baptist Church, the Neighborhood House, and the original location of St. Matthew’s Chapel. The tour is co-presented by the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, the East Hampton Historical Society, and the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society.

Meet 10 AM at the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, 131 North Main Street, East Hampton.

Free for members of EH Trails, EH Historical Society, and EH Historical Farm Museum. $12 for Non-Members. Pre-registration required.

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Photo credit: Allison McGovern