27:
workers. The land they chose was unsuitable for agriculture, but conveniently situated along main roadways connecting to wealthy residential areas, farmlands, local businesses, and shipping ports like
Northwest Harbor. Nineteen free households of color were listed in the 1810 Federal Census with 76 free people of color total. Some of Freetown's pioneering households of color endured for decades, as documented by Federal Censuses between 1810 and 1840. Some residents of color owned their own property, however, many others rented. Although Freetown was largely inhabited by people of color, East Hampton's elite white residents continued to own the majority of the property.
23:, settled in the 19th century by free people of African and Native American descent, as well as people of European descent. Freetown retained its multicultural character throughout the 20th century, evolving into a largely working-class neighborhood occupied by East Hampton's labor force. During the 2010s and 2020s, surviving historic properties in Freetown are increasingly threatened by demolition and intensive redevelopment to make way for luxury real estate and other out-of-scale and out-of-character new construction.
26:
In the early 19th century, following the passage of New York State's
Gradual Emancipation Act of 1799, John Lyon Gardiner and other wealthy local slaveowners set aside portions of their extensive landholdings in what is now Freetown to sell or allocate for their African American and indigenous
45:
Many direct connections to
Freetown's past survive today. Archival records about the community of Freetown are preserved in East Hampton Library's extensive Long Island Collection. Oral histories and living memories are also plentiful. Moreover, a number of historic and culturally significant
318:
224:
Allison Manfra McGovern and Anjana Mebane-Cruz. "Mapping
Memories of Freetown: The Meanings of a Native American House in a Black Neighborhood." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 8.1-2 (2019):
182:
Allison Manfra McGovern and Anjana Mebane-Cruz. "Mapping
Memories of Freetown: The Meanings of a Native American House in a Black Neighborhood." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 8.1-2 (2019):
143:
Allison Manfra McGovern and Anjana Mebane-Cruz. "Mapping
Memories of Freetown: The Meanings of a Native American House in a Black Neighborhood." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 8.1-2 (2019):
62:
Allison Manfra McGovern and Anjana Mebane-Cruz. "Mapping
Memories of Freetown: The Meanings of a Native American House in a Black Neighborhood." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 8.1-2 (2019):
153:
Christopher N. Matthews and
Allison Manfra McGovern, "Created communities: segregation and the history of plural sites on eastern Long Island, New York," Historical Archaeology 52 (2018): 30-50.
123:
Christopher N. Matthews and
Allison Manfra McGovern, "Created communities: segregation and the history of plural sites on eastern Long Island, New York," Historical Archaeology 52 (2018): 30-50.
72:
Christopher N. Matthews and
Allison Manfra McGovern, "Created communities: segregation and the history of plural sites on eastern Long Island, New York," Historical Archaeology 52 (2018): 30-50.
268:
280:
112:
42:
people maintained a small community. Benson and local officials relocated the Montaukett households to Freetown, offering them cash and deeds to newly subdivided lots.
313:
308:
269:
https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=teh19750807-01.1.21&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22neighborhood+house%22+1975-------Suffolk--
303:
281:
https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=teh19150702-01.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22neighborhood+house%22+freetown-------Suffolk--
298:
245:
162:
Christopher N. Matthews and Allison Manfra McGovern, eds. The archaeology of race in the Northeast. University Press of Florida, 2015.
81:
Christopher N. Matthews and Allison Manfra McGovern, eds. The archaeology of race in the Northeast. University Press of Florida, 2015.
30:
Freetown continued to grow as a multicultural community during the late 19th century. In 1879, a New York City real estate developer,
113:
https://www.nysarchivestrust.org/education/consider-source/browse-primary-source-documents/slavery/act-gradual-abolition-slavery-1799
256:
46:
buildings and sites survive. For example, the George and Sara Fowler House, St. Matthews Chapel, and the Neighborhood House.
234:
193:
213:
20:
246:
https://preservationlongisland.org/george-and-sarah-fowler-housetown-of-east-hampton-suffolk-county/
257:
http://easthamptonlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/LI-Collection-Item-of-the-Week-21218.pdf
101:
35:
132:
31:
292:
235:
https://www.gothamcenter.org/exhibits/long-island-dirt/east-hampton-the-fowler-house
39:
171:
90:
214:
http://easthamptonlibrary.org/long-island-history/about-our-collection/
319:
Populated places in New York (state) established by African Americans
267:
East Hampton Star, Neighborhood House feature August 7, 1975
102:
https://www.projectmost.org/news-blog/capitalcampaignupdate
133:
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/online-resources
194:"Newsday - Long Island's & NYC's News Source"
8:
34:, acquired 10,000 acres (40 km) in
314:1827 establishments in New York (state)
172:https://maap.columbia.edu/place/60.html
91:https://maap.columbia.edu/place/60.html
55:
7:
309:Populated places established in 1827
19:is an unincorporated hamlet in the
14:
304:East Hampton (village), New York
1:
299:East Hampton (town), New York
335:
21:Town of East Hampton, NY
279:East Hampton Star,
38:, where a group of
36:Montauk, New York
326:
283:
277:
271:
265:
259:
254:
248:
243:
237:
232:
226:
222:
216:
211:
205:
204:
202:
200:
190:
184:
180:
174:
169:
163:
160:
154:
151:
145:
141:
135:
130:
124:
121:
115:
110:
104:
99:
93:
88:
82:
79:
73:
70:
64:
60:
32:Arthur W. Benson
334:
333:
329:
328:
327:
325:
324:
323:
289:
288:
287:
286:
278:
274:
266:
262:
255:
251:
244:
240:
233:
229:
223:
219:
212:
208:
198:
196:
192:
191:
187:
181:
177:
170:
166:
161:
157:
152:
148:
142:
138:
131:
127:
122:
118:
111:
107:
100:
96:
89:
85:
80:
76:
71:
67:
61:
57:
52:
12:
11:
5:
332:
330:
322:
321:
316:
311:
306:
301:
291:
290:
285:
284:
272:
260:
249:
238:
227:
217:
206:
185:
175:
164:
155:
146:
136:
125:
116:
105:
94:
83:
74:
65:
54:
53:
51:
48:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
331:
320:
317:
315:
312:
310:
307:
305:
302:
300:
297:
296:
294:
282:
276:
273:
270:
264:
261:
258:
253:
250:
247:
242:
239:
236:
231:
228:
221:
218:
215:
210:
207:
195:
189:
186:
179:
176:
173:
168:
165:
159:
156:
150:
147:
140:
137:
134:
129:
126:
120:
117:
114:
109:
106:
103:
98:
95:
92:
87:
84:
78:
75:
69:
66:
59:
56:
49:
47:
43:
41:
37:
33:
28:
24:
22:
18:
275:
263:
252:
241:
230:
220:
209:
197:. Retrieved
188:
178:
167:
158:
149:
139:
128:
119:
108:
97:
86:
77:
68:
58:
44:
29:
25:
16:
15:
293:Categories
199:28 October
50:References
40:Montaukett
225:131-146.
183:131-146.
144:131-146.
63:131-146.
17:Freetown
201:2016
295::
203:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.