SAMUEL LYMAN

Inscription

SAMUEL LYMAN
1794-1877, ABOLITIONIST.
IN 1850 PETITIONED U.S.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TO ABOLISH SLAVERY IN
WASHINGTON D.C. LIVED HERE.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2020

Prior to the Civil War, the issue of slavery in the United States, fundamentally divided the country. Large numbers of men and women in New York State opposed the institution of slavery. Among them was local farmer Samuel Lyman. According to an article from the Syracuse Post Standard, dated September 12, 1911:

It is said that Samuel Lyman’s barn concealed more runaway slaves, than another building in the town. He was currently reported to be a “station man” on the “underground” railway for the escape of slaves to Canada.

While it is unknown if Samuel Lyman was involved with the Underground Railroad, he was an ardent abolitionist and outspoken opponent of slavery, so much so that in 1850, at a time when American tensions over the topic were at an all-time high Samuel Lyman and a group of citizens from Wayne County submitted a petition to the United States House of Representatives to abolish slavery in Washington D.C. While the petition was not successful, it arguably set a precedent that the institution of slavery would no longer be tolerated.