NATIONAL ABOLITION HALL of Fame & Museum
Walk the
FIFTH ANNUAL ABOLITION ROAD Walk
RETRACE THE ROUTE OF REFORM
Friday, October 9
Oneida County Freedom Trail
Guided Walking Tour Through
Downtown Utica
Meet at: Utica Coffee, 92 Genesee St, Utica, NY 13502
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5:00-5:30 pm Lingo Family Singers perform as the historic abolitionist Hutchinson Singers
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5:30-6:30 pm Led by Jan DeAmicis and Mary Hayes Gordon from Oneida County Freedom Trail, you'll visit 10 stops that highlight Abolition History in Utica. The narrated walk begins at the Mechanic Hall sign and ends at the Utica Rescue sign. (Starts and ends at Utica Coffee)
Free and open to the community -
no registration needed
(Rain or Shine)
Saturday, October 10
Abolition Road Walk
Trace the footsteps of abolitionists who escaped a pro-slavery mob in Utica, took a barge to Canastota, climbed the hills to Peterboro, and formed the New York State
Antislavery Society.
Meet at: 102 S Peterboro St, Canastota, NY
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8:00-9:00 am: Registration with
Lingo Family Singers performing as the historic abolitionist Hutchinson Singers
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9:00-9:30 am Walk Program
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9:30 am Walk start back to Clockville
Limited bus seats available for folks who need a lift all or along the way. Ride reservations must be made by September 15th
Register Here to Walk or Ride*
Saturday, October 10, 2026
$40/PARTICIPANT (INCLUDES SHIRT)
$25/PARTICIPANT (NO SHIRT INCLUDED)
A bus will be available for those who prefer to ride. Seating is limited. Ride reservations must be made by September 15. First 104 students register for free.
Route Of Reform
Walk with us and trace a portion of the footsteps of 104 abolitionists who escaped an angry pro-slavery mob in Utica in October 1835, embarked on a barge to Canastota, and climbed the hills to Peterboro, where they formed the New York State Antislavery Society.
The Lingo Family singers will perform 19th C. reform songs. Buses are provided for folks who need a lift all or part of the way.
Route Of Reform is funded in part with support from the
NYS Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
Why we walk
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When a group convened in Utica to form the New York State Antislavery Society in 1835, they were disrupted by an angry mob of anti-abolitionists. Gerrit Smith stepped forward and invited the delegates to "Come to Peterboro" to resume the meeting.
This historic event motivated Gerrit Smith to devote himself to the abolitionist cause, making Central New York the heart of the abolitionist movement in America, a safe haven for persons escaping slavery, and a respite for influential reformers in our region during the decades leading up to the civil war.
Abolition Walk
Route & Schedule
Saturday, October 10
Walk or ride the bus from Canastota to Clockville and back (5.4 miles - 2 hrs).
Check back here for the latest news and updates to the schedule.
Transportation
A bus will be available for those who prefer to ride all the way - and back. The bus registrations must be made by September 15.
The bus is also available for those who need a short rest from walking.
Mission
The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum
honors antislavery abolitionists,
their work to end slavery,
and the legacy of that struggle,
and strives to complete the second and ongoing abolition -
the moral conviction to end racism.
Proceeds from the Abolition Walk will benefit