Flushing Bowne House admitted into National
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | NOV. 12 - NOV. 18, 2021 5
BY BENEDETTA TOMMASELLI
The National Park Service
has designated John Bowne
House in Flushing as a research
facility for its association
with the historic underground
railroad network
that helped enslaved African
Americans escape into free
states and Canada.
The oldest house in
Queens, located at 37-01
Bowne St., has been selected
to join the National Underground
Railroad Network to
Freedom.
The organization’s mission
— through collaboration
with local, state and federal
entities, as well as individual
programs and organizations
— is to honor, preserve and
promote the history of resistance
to enslavement through
escape and flight, which
continues to inspire people
worldwide, according to its
website.
Bowne House was recognized
for the strength of its
extensive archival holdings.
The museum is one of 18 new
admissions made during the
42nd round of network applications.
It is the first location
in Queens to join more than
695 other network admissions
made since the program’s
founding in 1998.
Twice per calendar year,
the Network to Freedom
reviews applications from
sites, research facilities and
programs with verified connections
to the underground
railroad.
Diane Miller, the network’s
national program
manager, said they’re eager
to work alongside its new
members sharing underground
railroad history with
the public.
“Each time we accept a
site into the network we are
inspired by the power of the
underground railroad and
the stories of those brave
women and men who sought
their freedom,” Miller said.
Rosemary Vietor, vice
president of the Bowne House
Historical Society’s board of
trustees, said they’re thrilled
to join the National Underground
Railroad Network to
Freedom.
“We are looking forward
to sharing our history with
local, regional and national
visitors to the borough of
Queens as we continue to research
and develop new and
inspiring educational programs
for the public and students
of all ages,” Vietor said.
The house was built in
1661 by John Bowne, an English
immigrant who is known
for his courageous defense of
religious freedom.
The house preserves nine
generations of Bowne family
material, which includes manuscripts
discussing the Abolition
movement and the underground
railroad in New York.
The archives tell the story
of one prominent New York
family that included horticulturists,
political and religious
leaders, captains of
industry, artists and writers,
and Walter Bowne, the 59th
mayor of New York City, serving
from 1829 to 1833.
The family’s objective was
to aid freedom seekers to escape
from slavery. Many letters
were found as evidence,
dating between 1842 and 1850
revealing the different Bowne
House residents: Samuel,
Robert and William Bowne
Parsons, who were active in
a network assisting multiple
freedom seekers.
In their letters, it was also
revealed that they were in
contact with prominent antislavery
activists throughout
New York state, such as Rev.
Simeon Jocelyn, Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher and the philanthropist
Lewis Tappan.
Read more on QNS.com.
John Bowne House is located at 37-01 Bowne St. in Flushing.
Courtesy of John Bowne House Museum
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