HSSM Historian & Exhibit Curator Larry Bell will speak about the forced exodus of the indigenous people, the Yankee settlers who followed, and the early African American experience.

The museum is open 1-4pm.
Gallery Talk at 4pm with viewing & refreshments following.

Prior to its formation in 1794, Scipio was a battleground for the American War of Independence. The “scorched earth” policy of the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton campaign forced the indigenous people —perceived as supporters of the British—to flee their homeland and take refuge in Canada. Later, hordes of Yankee settlers moved in, finding prosperous land sold by developers for a low price. Some brought enslaved persons, who later formed the basis of a free African American community that welcomed fugitives from Southern enslavement. The exhibit will present these three migrations side by side as formative influences on the birth of the town.

Sponsored by Auburn Public Theater SCR.

Artwork: detail of Ensenore on Owasco Lake, by an unknown artist, courtesy of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art