Many Staten Islanders may not know that we have our own piece of the Underground Railroad right here on the South Shore. Sandy Ground, which is located in Woodrow, is the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the United States. Founded in the early 1800s, the community arose from a settlement of free Blacks from New York, Maryland and Delaware. By harvesting oysters and farming, this fledgling community was able to thrive and became a safe haven on the Underground Railroad.
Today, Sandy Ground is home to 10 families that are descendants of the property’s original settlers. The Sandy Ground Historical Society Library Museum is the largest collection of African-American culture and history on the Island. Members of the historical society preserve material related to the historic town, as well as letters, photographs, film, art, rare books and other archaeological artifacts. The museum educates the public about black history through lecture series, school programs and festivals.
The idea for the museum’s most recent exhibit actually originated at Borough Hall! In 2015, we hosted a traveling exhibit of quilts made by descendants of the original Sandy Ground settlers that depicted their history. Each quilt tells a unique story of a local family and is rooted in the African-American tradition of quilt-making. Due to space constraints, we could only display four quilts at Borough Hall. After receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the exhibit, the Sandy Ground Historical Society decided to continue the idea and put many more quilts on display in their museum.
For more information on the museum, visit sandygroundmuseum.org or call (718) 317-5796