It’s Veterans Day! Today we honor the memory of Jacob Wynkoop.
On December 13, 1863, Jacob Wynkoop enlisted to serve in the US Army during the Civil War and was mustered into service as a Private in the NY 20th Colored Regiment. Jacob was honorably discharged on October 7, 1865 after which he made his way back to New Paltz. Following the war, Wynkoop worked as a carpenter. The houses built by him in part or entirely are still standing in New Paltz today.
One such house is the Ann Oliver house, the future home of our organization, the Margaret Wade-Lewis Cultural Center for Black History. This is an example of some of the historical figures that will be displayed once our center is open. Link: http://mwlcenter.org
Wynkoop passed away on August 25, 1912. He is buried in the New Paltz Rural Cemetery in an area devoted to GAR members and Civil War veterans.
To learn more about his life, we recommended visiting Historic Huguenot Street's online exhibit, "Never Was a Slave: Jacob Wynkoop, Free and Black in 19th-Century New Paltz": https://omeka.hrvh.org/.../show/jacob-wynkoop/introduction
#VeteransDay #thankyou #thankyouforyourservice #MWLCenter #Blackhistory #NewPaltz #jacobwynkoop #drmargaretwadelewis #annoliver
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