Across the Creek - Quakers and Antislavery in Dutchess County

Presented by Peter Bunten, chairman of the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project. A native of Poughkeepsie, he lectures on the local history of slavery, the antislavery movement, and the Underground Railroad. In the middle decades of the 18th Century, Quaker communities – such as the Creek Meeting – were spreading across eastern Dutchess County and to points beyond. The area would go on to boast the largest settlement of Quakers outside Philadelphia. Almost from the beginning, these Quakers – along with their neighbors – found themselves at the forefront of the slavery-antislavery debate. We’ll explore some of the cultural and political aspects of this development, which link our local history to national events.