Downtown in Rochester in Monroe County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Austin Steward 1793-1869

Photographed by Yugoboy, May 25, 2012

1. Austin Steward 1793-1869 Marker

Inscription. Austin Steward, a freed slave, settled in Rochesterville in 1817, where he opened a butcher shop. In 1818, he constructed a two-story building on this site for his expanding grocery and dry goods store. Steward was a strong advocate of temperance and refused to sell alcohol. In an 1827 newspaper article he was described as "an industrious, respectable African."

Steward served as a trustee of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. As an ardent Abolitionist, he participated in many anti slavery conventions. His autobiography, published in Rochester in 1857, Twenty-Two Years a Slave, Forty Years a Free Man , provided a rare portrait of the experience of black Americans before the Civil War.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.

Location. 43° 9.396′ N, 77° 36.55′ W. Marker is in Rochester, New York, in Monroe County. It is in

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Downtown. It is at the intersection of Main St. E. and St. Paul, on the right when traveling west on Main St. E.. Marker is on a granite pedestal and can only be read from the sidewalk, although the pedestal can be seen from the roadside. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rochester NY 14604, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

and in the Finger Lakes.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Granite Building (a few steps from this marker); Main Street Bridge (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Genesee River (about 300 feet away); Erie Canal (about 300 feet away); From Hunting Ground to City (about 400 feet away);

Photographed by Yugoboy, May 25, 2012

2. Austin Steward 1793-1869 Marker

Wide shot of Marker and intersection of Main St. and St. Paul. Marker is the dark grey pedestal in the lower center of picture.

Early Mills and Races (about 500 feet away); Front Street (about 500 feet away); Historic Site in Journalism (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rochester.

Regarding Austin Steward 1793-1869. Marker is a few yards east of the Downtown Radisson Hotel. Inside the hotel near the Skyway over to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center is a bust and series of murals of Austin Steward.

Photographed by Yugoboy, May 25, 2012

3. Austin Steward 1793-1869 Marker

Facing west. Marker can be seen just beyond the news box. Behind the trees is the Downtown Radisson Hotel where the Austin Steward bust and murals can be viewed (to the right of the skyway visible in the distance.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2012, by Yugoboy of Rochester, New York. This page has been viewed 1,363 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2012, by Yugoboy of Rochester, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.