A statue of abolitionist and writer Solomon Northup, whose story was told in his memoir and the Academy Award-winning film Twelve Years a Slave, has provided a space for reflection at Saratoga Spa State Park this summer. The 13-foot bronze “Hope Out of Darkness” sculpture was unveiled during a July 10 ceremony attended by Northup descendants, area officials and community members on the lawn in front of the Lincoln Bathhouse.  

Northup, a free-born Black American born in Minerva, NY, lived in Saratoga Springs with his wife and children for about seven years when he was tricked into joining a traveling circus. This sinister ploy led to Northup being kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in April 1841 and sold into slavery.