“Family group by Willem C. Duyster (c. 1631-1633), courtesy of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.”

Curator Travis Bowman will present the role of slavery played in the formation and growth of the West India Company and how the Company’s Atlantic slave trading activities affected the colonists of Dutch New York. By studying the very beginning of slavery in New York, we can better understand how New York evolved over the centuries – becoming both a leading center of abolitionism and equal rights, and a major contributor to the union cause in the Civil War. Travis M. Bowman is the Senior Curator of the New York State Bureau of Historic Sites, where he is responsible for the research, care, and exhibition of the collections at New York State’s historic sites and parks.


The suggested donation for Grant Cottage Porch Programs is $5 per person. These programs are made possible thanks to a grant from the Adirondack Trust Community Fund. Our events are supported with funding from the New York State Park and Trail Partnership Program (NYSPTPP) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSPTPP is administered by Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.