May 27th - July 3rd6 credit class May 27th - July 3rd
6 credit class
May 27th - July 3rd
The Dennis Farm is a potentially unique example of an agricultural property established by free African American settlers in the late 18th century and retained by the family through the present. It is a significant site in that it can not only contribute to our understandings of many aspects of the past -- African American history, agricultural history and the postcolonial settlement of the frontier, for example -- but also fundamentally change our perspective on these and other themes.
The Prince Perkins Archaeological Site -- consisting of the remains of the house, outbuildings and fields of Dennis ancestor Prince Perkins (1750-1839) -- will be the focus of Binghamton University's Summer Field School, in partnership with the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust. The Dennis Farm complex is also home to other significant cultural landmarks, including the 19th century Dennis Farmhouse, and the Perkins-Dennis Cemetery, the resting place of Revolutionary and Civil War veterans.
The story of the Dennis Farm is really the story of several generations of free African American landowners and their relationships with their local, national and global surroundings. Parts of this story are well-known among the Dennis and Perkins descendants, but many important and compelling details of the daily lives and struggles of those who lived there remain hidden. Through our research, we hope to bring to light some of those details, both
for those whose personal history resides on the Dennis Farm, and for those of us on the outside who wish to know more.