Smithfield Community Center
5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro, NY 13134
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Home to the National Abolition Hall of Fame
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History of the Smithfield Community Center Building
Originally constructed in 1820 as the Presbyterian Church of Smithfield, the building now known as the Smithfield Community Center has stood as a major sanctuary for American abolitionism and community history. Its most legendary moment occurred on October 22, 1835, when it served as the refuge and official site for the inaugural meeting of the newly organized New York State Anti-Slavery Society.
Just the day before, an angry anti-abolition mob had violently driven 600 delegates out of their initial meeting at the Bleecker Street Church in Utica. In response, Gerrit Smith invited the disrupted delegates to the safety of Peterboro. Battling a cold, rainy night, hundreds of men traveled over the hills, while 104 brave individuals took an empty lumber barge down the Erie Canal to Canastota and hiked up the steep elevation to Peterboro. There, at 11:00 AM on October 22, the historic meeting was successfully completed; a pivotal event that deeply inspired Gerrit Smith to officially dedicate his life to the abolitionist cause.
Throughout the mid-19th century, the building continued to anchor the anti-slavery movement. It hosted the Liberty Party State Convention in 1842, witnessed Gerrit and Ann Smith withdraw their membership in 1843 when the church refused to condemn slavery, and served as a podium for iconic freedom fighters like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and George Thompson during an 1851 convention. It also hosted a solemn John Brown memorial meeting in December 1859 following his execution. After the church society disbanded in 1868, Gerrit Smith purchased and remodeled the structure, allowing it to transition into the Evans Academy in 1871, and eventually the Peterboro Union and Elementary Schools.
Just the day before, an angry anti-abolition mob had violently driven 600 delegates out of their initial meeting at the Bleecker Street Church in Utica. In response, Gerrit Smith invited the disrupted delegates to the safety of Peterboro. Battling a cold, rainy night, hundreds of men traveled over the hills, while 104 brave individuals took an empty lumber barge down the Erie Canal to Canastota and hiked up the steep elevation to Peterboro. There, at 11:00 AM on October 22, the historic meeting was successfully completed; a pivotal event that deeply inspired Gerrit Smith to officially dedicate his life to the abolitionist cause.
Throughout the mid-19th century, the building continued to anchor the anti-slavery movement. It hosted the Liberty Party State Convention in 1842, witnessed Gerrit and Ann Smith withdraw their membership in 1843 when the church refused to condemn slavery, and served as a podium for iconic freedom fighters like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and George Thompson during an 1851 convention. It also hosted a solemn John Brown memorial meeting in December 1859 following his execution. After the church society disbanded in 1868, Gerrit Smith purchased and remodeled the structure, allowing it to transition into the Evans Academy in 1871, and eventually the Peterboro Union and Elementary Schools.
Modern Recognition and Contemporary
Following its rich 19th-century history, the building transitioned into a celebrated landmark and an active civic hub in the modern era. Its profound historical significance was officially cemented when it was placed on the New York State and National Historic Registers in 1994, followed by designations on both the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail in 2004 and the Madison County Freedom Trail in 2006.
Alongside this growing historical recognition, the building embraced a vital civic role when the Smithfield Town Clerk’s office opened in the rear of the structure in January 2002, marking the first time in the town's history that the office was housed outside of a private residence. Further honoring its activist roots, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum was established on the building's second floor in 2004, ensuring its legacy of freedom and community service continues to inspire future generations.
Alongside this growing historical recognition, the building embraced a vital civic role when the Smithfield Town Clerk’s office opened in the rear of the structure in January 2002, marking the first time in the town's history that the office was housed outside of a private residence. Further honoring its activist roots, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum was established on the building's second floor in 2004, ensuring its legacy of freedom and community service continues to inspire future generations.
