Tour Overview
Discover the grassroots movement of a 19th-century free Black community in Jamaica, Queens.
In 1827, the year slavery officially ended in New York State, a free Black man named Wilson Rantous purchased about $250 worth of land in the Village of Jamaica, Long Island. His purpose? To develop a space for the local Black community to come together and prosper through fellowship, education, and civic engagement. Find out more about the life of Wilson Rantous and discover a grassroots movement in the early years of the United States, working toward one of the first Black voting rights conventions in New York State and whose echoes are still felt in the community today.
Researcher: Michael Colon
Educators: Brittany Lester and Roberto Chavez
Stops
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Stop 1: King Manor Museum
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Stop 2: Tree of Life Mural
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Stop 4: Douglaston
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Stop 5: York College (St. Mark's Free Episcopal Colored School)
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Stop 6: Union Hall Academy
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Stop 7: Grace Episcopal Church
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Stop 8: King Manor Museum (Wrap Up)
Map
