Estes House - Future Home of the Town of Chesterfield Heritage Center which will feature our Regional Underground Railroad Exhibits
Spring 2010
Life is returning very slowly to the Estes House at Ausable Chasm in Chesterfield, Essex County, New York. Our expected Spring opening of the Town of Chesterfield Heritage Center has been postponed until at least mid-September. The North Country Underground Historical Association is pleased to be a partner in this project. With close to $400,000 in federal and state grants, the Town of Chesterfield is transforming the former home of Civil War veteran Herbert Estes into a Heritage Center. The Center will be the home of the North Star Underground Railroad Museum. Our exhibits will celebrate the unheralded history of the Underground Railroad in Northeastern New York and the self emancipated who followed the North Star to freedom. A $174,600 New York Canal Corporation grant is covering the construction of a series of “Waterways to Freedom” displays.
Abolitionists in Northeastern New York assisted hundreds of Freedom Seekers on the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad, and the Town of Chesterfield Heritage Center will be the first to bring their stories to a wide audience. The North Country Underground Railroad is researching the UGRR history which will be featured. We are closely involved in the design and construction plans for all exhibits. We look forward to the Town of Chesterfield Heritage Center becoming an important stop on the Lakes to Locks Passage and the Great Northeast Journey National Scenic Byway.
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