Antiques Club of the Finger Lakes: Pinpointing Enslaved People’s Quarters on Cayuta Lake
April 4, 2024, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
This program will be presented by Michael Ariano at the Geneva History Museum, 543 S. Main Street, Geneva. The program is sponsored by the Antiques Club of the Finger Lakes and is free and open to the public.
Antiques Club of the Finger Lakes presents this program by military historian and history buff Michael Ariano. He will bring a personal perspective to his research and amateur archeology in locating enslaved people’s and servants’ quarters on Cayuta Lake, Schuyler County, New York. He will discuss his findings at White Gates, his mother’s childhood home that was built in 1825 by the wealthy Lawrence family from New York City.
Ariano’s intention is to recognize White Gates’ identity as a slavery location in Schuyler County and acknowledge that slavery was prevalent in all the states, not just the south. Through his research, Ariano learned that White Gates had three small huts used as slave quarters. After the 1827 New York that outlawed slavery, these huts became servant quarters. He believes that eventually White Gates became a station on the Underground Railroad. Researching local archives and maps, Ariano used a metal detector to uncover several objects that could have been used in 19th century slave or servant quarters.
Michael Ariano is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and earned a MA in Military History at Norwich University. He was commissioned in the US Army in 2003 and was deployed in Afghanistan and Poland among other places.
The program is presented in cooperation with Historic Geneva and is free and open to the public. The Antiques Club of the Finger Lakes' meetings are free, but membership is welcome and encouraged at $10 per year. Programs include meetings at the Geneva History Museum, field trips, and social events. See the Club's Facebook page for more news.
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