TALK: Underground Railroad

Bowne House on the Freedom Trail: Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Quaker Flushing

Bowne House archivist Charlotte Jackson and researcher Kate Lynch will present the findings of their study, “Bowne House on the Freedom Trail: Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Quaker Flushing” on Sunday February 16, 1 p.m.- 2 p.m., at Flushing Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, located at 13716 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354. This community forum is free and open to the public. All are welcome.

This forum will discuss the role of early Friends, the Bowne and Parsons families, in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad, within the context of evolving Quaker discernment about slavery from the 17th century forward. Kate Lynch’s recent research explores the origins of anti-slavery conviction among other early Friends, many with ties to the Bowne family and the Flushing Meeting. Charlotte Jackson will showcase discoveries from the Bowne House Archives and other local collections, including a rare letter carried by a fugitive on the Underground Railroad. 

An early image of Bowne House, the first house of worship for the Religious Society of Friends in Flushing and the oldest house in Queens County.