SYRACUSE — On Thursday, Feb. 20, from noon to 1 p.m., the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse will host “Illuminating the Lost Voices of Lorenzo” as part of its 2025 Sloan Lecture Series.
The presentation will explore Lorenzo State Historic Site’s ongoing efforts to discover and share more detailed information about the people enslaved by Lorenzo’s owners, giving voices to those who have yet to be fully heard.
Situated at 17 Rippleton Rd. in Cazenovia, Lorenzo is the 1807 federal-style home of John Lincklaen, Holland Land Company agent and founder of Cazenovia. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied Lorenzo until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968. The site, which maintains objects and documents dating from the mid-1700s to the mid-1900s, is operated by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and supported with help from the non-profit Friends of Lorenzo (FOL).
NYS historic sites are in the process of bringing to light the state’s often overshadowed and underrepresented history of enslavement; Lorenzo is no exception.
“Public interpretation at Lorenzo State Historic Site has consistently told the story of the site’s enslaved people,” said Paul Nasca, Lorenzo’s historic site manager. “Increased efforts made possible by support of the FOL and a grant through NY Parks & Trails to digitize the extensive archive holdings at Lorenzo has brought to light new information on those that lived and labored at the site. In keeping with the mission of NYS Office of Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s ‘Our Whole History’ initiative, the staff at Lorenzo will continue to refine site interpretation as new information is uncovered to tell a more complete history and reexamine what we know about the people who were enslaved here.”
The goal of the Our Whole History initiative is to provide multiple perspectives on the state’s history, including those of people who have been historically excluded. An accompanying blog can be found at nystateparks.blog/2024/02/27/telling-new-yorks-whole-story-black-history-at-ny-state-historic-sites/.
According to Nasca, the greatest source of information so far has been primary source documentation from the Lorenzo archives, including Lincklaen’s letters and ledgers, as well as the store account books of Samuel S. Forman. Web-based resources, such as the Northeast Slavery Records Index and the Slave Voyages database, have also helped expand the understanding of those enslaved at the site and their familial connections.
“Letters and the store account books of Samael S. Forman, a slave owner himself, document the names of eight enslaved individuals associated with John Lincklaen from 1797 to 1818 — Tom, Tom’s wife, Ceaser, Titus, Juliann, Nancy, Frank, and Moisha,” said Nasca. “Additionally, the account books contain entries of unnamed male and female children making purchases on behalf of John. Not all these individuals were in Cazenovia at the same time. By using the chronology established by the account books, we see that three to four individuals were consistently in service at Lorenzo over time.”
“Illuminating the Lost Voices of Lorenzo” will be presented by Melinda Reeder, Lorenzo’s office manager and researcher. Reeder holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Utica College and a master’s in history from the University of Albany.
Her presentation can be attended in person at the museum or virtually. There is no charge for the event, but donations to the Erie Canal Museum will be accepted.
To register and learn about other upcoming lectures, visit simpletix.com/e/2025-sloan-lecture-series-tickets-196528. For more information about Lorenzo, visit friendsoflorenzo.org.
The 2025 Sloan Lecture Series offers monthly lectures on various topics through Sept. 18. This year’s theme is “(R)Evolutions.”
The series description explains that the Erie Canal has been an agent of change and transformation, both gradual and abrupt, throughout its history.
“It was revolutionary in its own right while also being shaped by and influencing other transformative events,” the description states. “It has also been a continually evolving waterway, adapting throughout its history to meet the needs and demands of the communities it flowed through and connected. These changes reverberate up to the present with both positive and negative impacts that we continue to grapple with historically. As we commemorate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal’s completion in 2025, the Erie Canal Museum aims to examine these diverse transformative impacts on peoples and places in the past, present, and future in a variety of ways, which we look forward to sharing with you throughout the year.”
The Erie Canal Museum is located at 318 Erie Boulevard E., Syracuse. To learn more, visit eriecanalmuseum.org.
