Virtual Program: Bowne House Commemorates West Indian Emancipation

Join us for a Zoom presentation on August 2, 2025, at 2:00 pm, given by Ellen M. Spindler, Bowne House Collection Volunteer, in commemoration of West Indian Emancipation Day. The talk will address abolitionist activities occurring at the Bowne House and in Flushing before and during the Civil War, including Samuel Bowne Parsons’ trip to the West Indies and subsequent lobbying efforts; abolition and Underground Railroad letters in the Bowne House archives; the anti-slavery church Robert Bowne Parsons organized on Bowne Street; West Indian Emancipation Day celebrations held in Flushing; the Civil War draft riots in Flushing (as described by Susan B. Anthony in a letter); Mary Mitchell Parsons’ Civil War volunteer work; and Frederick Douglass’s talk at Flushing Town Hall.

THE ZOOM LINK FOR THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE SENT TO ATTENDEES ONE DAY BEFORE THE PROGRAM, ON AUGUST 1st 2025. PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR PREFERRED EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN PURCHASING TICKETS.

If you have any questions, please email our office at bownehouseeducation@gmail.com.