Rare Black history artifacts, some of which have never been on public display, were shown to members of the New York State Board of Regents.

This happened on Monday, Feb. 10, in one of the artifact storage rooms at the New York State Museum.

NewsChannel 13 was the only media outlet invited to attend.

“It’s nice to get things out that are in storage,” Jennifer Lemak said.

Lemak is the Chief Curator of History at the museum. She picked an array of artifacts that tell the stories of Black history in New York.

“[There are] many stories behind each one.”

She then laid them out on tables to show members of the board of regents for Black History Month.

“It’s important always to highlight undocumented history. I like doing it all year round, not just in February. Any time we can talk about real people doing real history, it’s a good thing.”

Some of the artifacts the board of regents were shown have never been on display. Other pieces have been with the museum for years.

One of the first artifacts on the board was a slave collar of a runaway slave in Montgomery County from 1805.

“Some of the folks that do come in think, ‘Oh well, in New York State, we were nicer to our slaves than what happened down South,’” Lemak said. “The slave collar proves that’s not the case.”    

Another piece of history presented was a land grant book from 1803. African American men had to own $250 worth of land to vote in the state up until 1870.

“The register lists all 3,000 people that were granted land in the Adirondacks.”

One collection Lemak loves to discuss is the Rapp Road Community Historic District, which is located in Albany’s Pine Bush neighborhood.

The Rapp Road community started because of a man named Louis Parson. He was from Shubuta, Mississippi.

“He was injured on the job and received a large cash settlement. As an African American man, he didn’t feel comfortable having a large amount of money in the South. He bought a car, and he and his wife drove North…headed east to Albany.”

Parson was a minister. Once he settled in Albany, he started bringing his church members.

“He drove them from the South to the North,” Lemak said.

Lemak said the more eyes on these pieces, the better, especially during a month that celebrates and recognizes the contributions and achievements of African Americans.

“Any time we can share collections is a win for us.”