Born circa 1793, Austin Steward, as a young, enslaved boy, came from Virginia in 1800 to the wilderness territory of Wayne County with Captain William Helm. Helm, with his some 70 enslaved, settled at the head of Great Sodus Bay near what is now Resort. Through Austin Steward’s autobiography, Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman, we learn much about what this area was like in that first decade of the 19^th Century. We also learn that Steward’s life was truly a journey of faith, determination, and dedication as he rose out of slavery, becoming an abolitionist, entrepreneur, educator, and writer. 

So much can be written here about the life and legacy of Austin Steward. We would like to encourage you to explore the links below to discover the different elements of Steward's life - especially his autobiography, which, through his own hard earned words, gives the reader a real sense of what his life was like from enslavement through social activism of the 1800s.  

The historic marker honoring Austin Steward is made possible through a grant from 
the William G. Pomeroy Foundation®. The William G. Pomeroy Foundation^® is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients. Established by Trustee Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the Pomeroy Foundation is a private, philanthropic organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation’s leading funder of historic roadside markers, the Pomeroy Foundation has awarded nearly 2,000 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 46 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more about the Pomeroy Foundation, visit wgpfoundation.org.