AFRICAN ROAD
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
-
NYS Historic
-
Transportation
- 301 African Rd, Vestal, NY 13850, USA
- 42.091996, -76.012327
-
Town of Vestal
AFRICAN ROAD
Inscription
AFRICAN ROADTHIS WINDING ROAD WAS
NAMED FOR NUMEROUS
BLACK FAMILIES THAT SETTLED
AT THE TOP OF PIERCE HILL
AS EARLY AS 1855.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2021
The first Black families arrived in the town of Vestal in Broome County, NY as early as 1855. The families included the Barton, Smith, Lewis, and other families. They settled and farmed along a rough track that came to be known as African Road.
During the American Civil War, James and Oscar Barton, along with Christopher Smith, served in Company B of the 26th NY Infantry. After the war, they returned to this area where their families still lived.
Into the 1920s, this remained a Black community, with descendants of the original families joined by new families.