Rokeby MuseumBook Review: “Slavery in the North” by Mark Howard Ross
by Joan Gorman, Rokeby Museum Visitor Services Coordinator
Northerners have a tendency to think that where slavery existed at all it was on a smaller scale and the enslaved were treated better than the enslaved in the South.
The dust jacket of Slavery in the North: Forgetting History and Recovering Memory, by Marc Howard Ross, might give one the impression that the book is less than the scholarly, meticulously researched, book that it is. It is a serious discussion of the collective forgetting of history and the collective rekindling of the memories of the actions of our ancestors. Slavery in the North is tightly structured; Ross lays out his theses, uses examples to illustrate them, and sums them up at the end of each chapter to keep his arguments on track and to cogently develop and present his conclusions.
Read More2021 Pie & Ice Cream Social
Sunday, August 15, 2021, 1–4 pm
Admission: FREE
Slice of Pie & Ice Cream: $6
We are very excited to have our community favorite back once again this summer. Join us as we celebrate Summer and a return to in-person gatherings at Rokeby’s Annual Pie & Ice Cream Social. As in previous years, there will be yards and yards of homemade pies along with ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. The Meatpackers, who performed to rave reviews in 2019, will return to provide live bluegrass while you enjoy your pie! We’ll also have some great gift basket raffles and croquet and badminton on the back lawns.
Admission to Rokeby Museum exhibits, grounds, and Pie & Ice Cream Social is free.
Prices:
Slice of Pie: $5
Slice of Pie with Ice Cream: $6
Ice Cream: $1
Beverages: $1
Giftbasket Raffle:
1 Ticket: $5
Sleeve of Tickets: $20
Tales of Oppression, Abolition, and Reform in the Hopper & Gibbons Families
On June 23rd, 2021, Angela Schear presented a talk on her abolitionist ancestors, Isaac T. Hopper and Abby Gibbons.
provided by Angela Schear
Hopper authored a column in the “The National Anti-Slavery Standard“ entitled “Tales of Oppression,” and was a well-known abolitionist and Hicksite Quaker. His biographer estimated that he personally assisted over 1,000 fugitives in obtaining their freedom during his forty years of residence in Philadelphia. His third daughter Abby followed in his footsteps of activism and reform. Together with her husband, James Gibbons, this Quaker family trio was influential in many Anti-slavery societies, prison reform work, and social activism. They knew most of the principal American abolitionists including the Robinsons and even hosted many, such as William L. Garrison and Horace Greeley, in their homes.
Read MoreStaff & Volunteer Spotlight — Meet Sawyer Ryan
by Sawyer Ryan, 2021 Intern
Hello, my name is Sawyer. Ever since I was little, I had a great interest in the events of the past. I graduated from Plymouth State University in 2020 with a History degree and I started interning at the Rokeby Museum in November of that year. Since then, I worked on many projects that helped me learn about the fascinating history of the Robinson family. I spent most of my time here scanning letters, photos, and drawings into the digital archive here at the Rokeby Museum. That might sound boring to many, but I had a great time doing it, especially when I found several treasures out of the stacks of items.
Read More“A Modern Artist: The Commercial Art of Rachael Robinson Elmer”
Rokeby Museum’s 2021 season exhibit explores the career of Rachael Robinson Elmer (1878–1919) and her early twentieth-century success as a professional illustrator. Exhibit is open May 30–October 24, 2021.
