The 1661 Bowne House is celebrating Liberty 2020, the 375th anniversary of the 1645 Flushing Town Charter. The Charter guaranteed "liberty of conscience" to all residents of the Dutch village then called Vlissingen. This document inspired both the 1657 Flushing Remonstrance and John Bowne’s later appeal to the Dutch West India Company after his 1662 arrest for practicing his religion.

John Bowne (1627-1695), an Englishman for whom the historic house is named, cited the charter in his plea for religious freedom after being deported to Holland for allowing Quakers to worship in his home shared with his first wife Hannah, a Quaker minister. Bowne’s courageous stand was an important step to ensuring that Quakers and others in New Netherland enjoyed the freedom to practice the religion of their choice in their homes, and helped inspire the principles of liberty of conscience and religious tolerance later enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.

This celebration will include presentations of research undertaken by the staff and volunteers of the Bowne House and Bowne House descendants into Flushing’s early history, including a weekly blog entitled Profiles of the Flushing Charter Signers. This blog will introduce Flushing’s founding document and feature biographical profiles of its 18 original signers.

If you have questions or sources to share, please contact the Bowne House Historical Society via the website or email office@bownehouse.org.