Concert: The Sound of Freedom

Friday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Monk Rowe and the Five Families Ensemble presents a musical journey focusing on local history and the Underground Railroad. Songs of the period will draw the listener into this story of struggle and emotion. Phyllis Breland, President of the Tri-State Consortium of Opportunity Programs, will offer historical readings and an introduction to the program. This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts. FREE!

African Americans and the Arts: NAACP Black History Month Celebration

Saturday, February 3 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Join the Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP to celebrate Black History Month 2024.This event will follow the national theme of African Americans and the arts and features guest speakers, poetry recitals, dance presentations, music, light refreshments, and more. Members of the NAACP will also share information about their organization and community announcements. Join in person at 1608 Genesee Street or virtually on Zoom.

Utica’s Black Masons: A Deep Dive into a Rediscovered Photo

Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m.

Deep in Oneida County History Center’s archives is a remarkable photo from the mid-1920s of a party at Hiram Lodge No. 18 Free & Accepted Masons. Fifty-three people from Utica’s African American community are dressed in their finest. Writer and researcher Deirdre Sinnott, author of The Third Mrs. Galway will present the facts about the lives of those partygoers and their families.

Central New York & The Birth of the Oneida County Freedom Trail

Open Now!

The Underground Railroad was more than a route to freedom; it was a social movement that blurred the lines of race and gender. It featured the cooperation of free and enslaved groups — black, white, men, and women who pushed the nation one step closer to universal freedom. This exhibit highlights the Underground Railroad movement in Oneida County along with how it weaved together social, political, and economic transformations, which made the route to freedom possible.

Thorpe CCC Oral History

The History Center partnered with the Tug Hill Commission to interview 2016 Living Legend Mr. Herbert Thorpe in December 2021. Often known for his time spent as a Tuskegee Airman, this interview centers upon his work at a Civilian Conservation Corp camp in a remote corner of Oneida County, Empyville. Now available on the History Center YouTube channel.