Site of the Home of Cynthia Hesdra; Underground Railroad Historical Marker

Given the secretive nature of the Underground Railroad, it is difficult to document many aspects of the people who served as “conductors” who used their homes and took other measures to assist fugitive slaves. But according to multiple sources, Cynthia Hesdra, an African American woman, was a significant force in helping people on their path to freedom. This historical marker along with a small memorial dedicated in 2015 by the Toni Morrison Society at Pierpont Avenue recognizes her efforts. Cynthia and her husband, Edward, were living in Nyack by 1859. The couple owned several properties, including a large house at 294 Main Street which was at the junction of two major thoroughfares and near the Nyack Brook. Though there is some disagreement about Hesdra’s role in the Underground Railroad, her name is mentioned in numerous accounts of fugitive slaves. Based on these sources, and her home’s strategic location, it is likely that enslaved persons sought shelter at this location on their journey to Canada where they would no longer be subject to re-enslavement under the Fugitive Slave laws of the United States.

The details of Hesdra’s early life are difficult to discern with certainty. She was born in Tappan in 1808 to John and Jane Moore, a well-known couple in the Hudson Valley. John Moore owned a mill on Sparkill Creek and invented an improvement on the mill wheel that was widely used in the area, making him not only well-known but wealthy. Some sources claim Cynthia Hesdra was born into slavery, but given her father's success, that claim is doubtful. Assuming Hesdra was enslaved, it is not known with certainty whether she was born a slave or whether she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, a not uncommon practice in the 1800s.

At some point, a man named Edward Hesdra purchased her freedom and they married. Like Cynthia, Edward is described in census records as a "mulatto," the term used during this time for a mixed-race person. The couple then moved to New York City, where Cynthia ran a successful laundry and Edward operated a furniture store. Cynthia also owned land near Minetta Lane in what would come to be known as “Little Africa,” now a part of Greenwich Village. While living in New York City, Cynthia became a homeowner (the home was apparently in her name alone, not hers and her husband’s) and gradually amassed a fortune.

The Hesdras reportedly moved to Nyack in search of a healthier environment. She became a property-owner there as well, owning properties both in Nyack and nearby Bergen County. Among the properties she owned in Nyack was her large home located at the corner of present-day Main Street and Route 9. The Hesdra home was an expansive, four-story residence with a balcony that wrapped around three-quarters of it. Cynthia Hesdra's fortune would today be counted in the millions. In fact, Hesdra's wealth prompted a battle over her estate in the years following her death. She left no will and had no children, and in the wake of her death, several falsified wills were produced by numerous people, including her husband as well as people claiming to be Hesdra's relatives. The court battle over the estate was a landmark, as it was the first application of a new law in New York that allowed for the comparison of known and disputed signatures.

Although Hesdra's exact role in the Underground Railroad is difficult to document, her name appears in multiple accounts of runaway slaves who made it to the Nyack area. Given her home's location on Nyack Brook, it is reasonable to assume that fugitive slaves might have used the waterway as a passage to a safe house--perhaps Hesdra's. Other evidence, however, suggests that it might have been Hesdra's property on Pierpont Avenue that was a station on the Underground Railroad.

The Hesdra home was demolished as part of an urban renewal program in Nyack, and it may never be known with any certainty what part she played in the Underground Railroad. There is no question, however, that Cynthia Hesdra was a remarkably resilient and successful woman. In 2015, the Toni Morrison Society placed a Bench by the Road memorial at Pierpont Avenue in recognition of Hesdra.

Hays, Mike . Nyack People & Places: Was Nyack Brook a Landmark on the Underground Railroad?, Nyack News and Views. February 15th 2018. Accessed February 20th 2022. https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2018/02/nyack-people-places-underground-railroad/.

Batson, Bill . Nyack Sketch Log: Scholar Puts Local History on Global Map, Nyack News and Views . February 9th 2016. Accessed February 20th 2022. https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2016/02/nyack-sketch-log-scholar-puts-local-history-on-global-map/.

Martin, Lori . The Battle Over an Ex-Slave's Fortune: The Story of Cynthia Hesdra, Accessed February 20th 2022. https://ubwp.buffalo.edu/aps-cus/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2015/07/Battle-Over-the-Ex-Slaves-Fortune.pdf

Bench by the Road: Cynthia Hesdra, Historical Marker Database. Accessed February 20th 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=130327.