Historic artifacts and pieces of art line the Vestal Museum, celebrating the role African-American's played in the town's history.

A group of artists joined the museum's director for research, which they say wasn't always easy to find.

"It involved some digging. It definitely did. There's not much on the internet, but with a little bit of digging, you can pull back a few layers," said artist Andrea Kelleher.

Some of that digging led them to what we know now as African Road in Vestal. Before the Civil War, it was one of the first pieces of land occupied by the few black families in Broome County. Museum directors dug up early census records dating back to 1810.

"The perception you have when you first come here is that there's not a lot up here and there certainly shouldn't be much of a history, so to hear something like that and learn that there's such a deep connection is kind of exciting," said artist Marsha Coulton.

Just a few miles away in Binghamton, the area's first African-American Church was founded in the 1830s. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church included "secret rooms" used by those trying to escape slavery in the Underground Railroad.

"It makes me proud, and it makes me feel connected, and it also gives me a sense of, no matter what in life, if they were able to do that, I can do anything," said Kelleher.

Throughout Black History Month, children often learn about key figures in African-American history. But organizers of the exhibit feel that education should also include information about the role our area played.

"It's a source of pride. I have a son who's 12 and it's good for him to hear this as well and it also gives him a connection, a source of identity," said Coulton.

Binghamton's first black church continues to operate today.

The Vestal Museum is open Thursday's and Friday's from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday's from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.