You have probably never heard of Peterboro, NY, in Madison County, but lots of stuff happened here.

Peterboro was the home of Gerrit Smith, a man converted to Christ under the revival meetings of Charles Grandison Finney. Inspired by the teachings of the New Testament, Gerrit Smith dedicated the rest of his life and his large fortune aiding the abolition movement. The abolition movement began in Upstate New York. This was the stop of the Underground Railroad, where negroes seeking freedom received money and a safe passage to Canada or money and some of Smith's land to start their own farms.

Smith's daughter, Elizabeth, also supported women's rights, and she invented the scandalous bloomers (the first trousers for women) in Peterboro.

We visited this tiny hamlet today for the Civil War weekend event. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the "war to end all wars." I wrote about our trip on my travel blog NewYorkTraveler.net. We even got to meet the President and his wife!

It was a terrific visit. Peterboro is an amazing little town filled with amazing and tenacious people.