Freetown retained its multicultural character throughout the 20th century, evolving into a largely working-class neighborhood occupied by East Hampton's labor force.
[1][2][3][4] During the 2010s and 2020s, surviving historic properties in Freetown are increasingly threatened by demolition and intensive redevelopment to make way for luxury real estate and other out-of-scale and out-of-character new construction.
[5] In the early 19th century, following the passage of New York State's Gradual Emancipation Act of 1799,[6] John Lyon Gardiner and other wealthy local slaveowners set aside portions of their extensive landholdings in what is now Freetown to sell or allocate for their African American and indigenous workers.
[7] The land they chose was unsuitable for agriculture, but conveniently situated along main roadways connecting to wealthy residential areas, farmlands, local businesses, and shipping ports like Northwest Harbor.
Although Freetown was largely inhabited by people of color, East Hampton's elite white residents continued to own the majority of the property.