Fifth Annual Abolition Walk
Saturday, October 10, 2026
SPONSOR REGISTRATION
Abolition Road; an annual walk honoring the past and inspiring the future
Abolitionists walked…
On October 21,1835, several hundred abolitionists met in Utica, NY to form New York State’s first abolitionist society. When a violent mob interrupted the proceedings, the undaunted abolitionists heeded Gerrit Smith’s call to resume their meeting at Peterboro's Presbyterian Church. Many traveled by lumber barge on the Erie Canal, by cart, and on foot. They walked 9 miles uphill from Canastota to Peterboro where their efforts to collectively organize were finally realized. Because of their determined journey, the New York State Antislavery Society was born.
Peterboro was - and is - sacred ground for the abolition movement. As African American abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet wrote in 1848: “There are yet two places where slaveholders cannot come, Heaven and Peterboro.”
Abolitionists, both local and national, realized their goals through resilience, determination, and bravery. They sacrificed to ensure that freedom for all was more than just an empty slogan.
We walk…
Today, we follow in the footsteps of these 19th century abolitionists. We call the path from the Erie Canal to Peterboro the “Abolition Road” and work to both remember and recreate this important historical moment. Please join us to support the fifth annual walk – an opportunity to honor, inspire and educate!
Sponsorship Opportunities…
Becoming a sponsor supports this year’s Abolition Road and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum as it works to fully realize its mission to “honor antislavery abolitionists, their work to end slavery, and the legacy of that struggle, and strive to complete the second and ongoing abolition - the moral conviction to end racism.”
Your sponsorship will support operational infrastructure, enhance educational resources, outreach to build awareness and alliances, and enrich NAHOF programming on and off site.
In solidarity,
Alden Smith
Interim President of Cabinet of Freedom
National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum
Please select your level of support