Network to Freedom
August 2001 25 Additions to the Network to Freedom Borderlands Conference on ground Railroad interpre- the Middle The National Park Ser- them. Members will tive programs, wrote after vice (NPS) salutes ef- be featured on a Net- her acceptance in the Net- Ohio River forts to identify, docu- work database on the work: “The truth is, be- ment, interpret, and pro- Program’s web site ing accepted into the Valley tect Underground Rail- (www.cr.nps.gov/ [Network] simply knocks The National Park Ser- road resources across ugrr). NPS will work me out. I have both stud- vice, in partnership with the United States. The with Underground ied and taught Under- the National Underground Underground Railroad Railroad partners to ground Railroad history Railroad Freedom Center is a significant heritage for the past 21 years, and Northern Kentucky related to resistance to since moving to this University’s (NKU) Insti- slavery and the flight to farm, out of a consum- tute for Freedom Studies, freedom. Congress ing passion for the his- sponsored the first in a mandated the National tory. Receiving en- planned series of regional Underground Railroad dorsement from the conferences on the Under- Network to Freedom, or [NPS] for the results ground Railroad. The “Network” in 1998, a of that passion is Borderlands Conference, national system of sites, NPS Coordinators review applica- wonderful and tions for Network focused on the Middle programs, and facilities humbling beyond Ohio River Valley from with verifiable associa- my descriptive abil- Marietta to Evansville, tions with the Under- identify funding for ity….The prestige and was held at the NKU cam- ground Railroad. NPS identification, docu- promotion of being ac- pus on May 18-19, 2001. is pleased to announce mentation, preserva- cepted into the [Network] The goal of conference that, as a result of the tion, and commemo- will enable us to share planners was to bring to- first round of applica- ration activities re- this exceptional educa- gether researchers from tions received by Jan- lated to the Under- tional resource with far large scale institutions uary 15, 2001, the Net- ground Railroad. more people, and will ul- with researchers from lo- work has accepted its Sites, programs, and timately enable us to save cal initiatives to share in- first members—10 sites, facilities that have and preserve the farm- formation on the Under- 10 programs, and 5 fa- been accepted in the stead, in this time of ground Railroad in the re- cilities. Network will have rapidly disappearing gion and address the chal- the privilege to use farms.” Membership in the and display the strik- lenges of collaboration. To facilitate the process, newly formed Network ing new Network Members accepted into efforts were made to pair will provide national logo. the Network were identi- institutional researchers recognition to well- fied mostly through the with local researchers to documented historic Carol Murphy, owner efforts of our Network work on projects and pre- sites, programs, and fa- of Murphy Orchards Partners working to tell sentations together. cilities, and will foster (New York) and op- the story of the Under- (Continued on page 2) coordination among erator of Under- (Continued on page 2)
1 Network to Freedom Conference Brings Community & Academic Historians Together
• How do we sort out the tries in each category at a Most of the concurrent ses- issue of multiple mark- Friday evening banquet sions presented information ers from different where Robert Callen read about specific research on groups with potentially his winning poem “Redbud the UGRR in the Border- different perspectives? Winter.” The winner of lands area. A special gen- • Is there a risk of new the visual arts contest was eral session was held Friday mythology of the Carola Bell for “Uncertain afternoon to focus on UGRR emerging due Sanctuary.” “Tools and Techniques” for to the revival of inter- research and interpretation. est and is there an anti- Conference evaluations This session covered such dote? indicate that most of the topics as development of an • How can the Internet participants outdoor historical drama, be used to do what found the pro- interpreting the UGRR in Siebert could not, and gram worthwhile. the context of slavery, how can we empower Most appreciated The truth is, be- archival records for re- local groups to tell the opportunity ing accepted into searching UGRR and slav- their story? to network with ery, and approaches to re- others working the [Network] searching UGRR in a Coincident with the confer- on similar pro- simply knocks me county with little previ- ence, the Institute for Free- jects. Confer- out. Carol Murphy, ously known activity. dom Studies sponsored ence planners are operator of interpre- contests for Visual Arts currently dis- tive program newly Perhaps the highlight of the and Writing for student cussing follow up added to the Network conference, however, was a works that address the plans for a publi- panel discussion of theme of the historical re- cation of pro- to Freedom “institutional” and commu- sistance to slavery and “the ceedings and fu- nity historians, moderated never-ending struggle for ture symposia by Dr. Milton Sernett, pro- human freedom and a fully covering different regions. fessor of African American democratic American soci- Studies at Syracuse Univer- ety.” Works of visual arts sity. The discussion cen- were displayed at the con- tered on three issues sug- ference. Awards were pre- gested by Dr. Sernett: sented to the top three en-
First Group of Entries in the Network to Freedom
ground Railroad. Network work Partners can often be ground Railroad sites, educa- Partners are local, grassroot cross-referenced to members tional and interpretive pro- organizations or individuals accepted into the Network. grams, and museum and that have submitted a re- The following individuals archival facilities to apply. We quest to work cooperatively have requested to become, welcome your participation in and collaboratively with the and been accepted as the first the Network. NPS program to preserve, Network Partners: Lawrence commemorate, and educate Walker (NJ), G. Galin Berrier the public about the Under- (IA), and Gary L. Knepp ground Railroad. The Net- (OH). We encourage eligible Under-
2 Site Candidates for Round 2 of the Network to Freedom State Name City Connecticut Andrew Lee/William Lee House Hanover District of Columbia Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Washington Illinois Camp Warren Levis Godfry Dr. Richard Eells House Quincy Kimzey Crossing/Locust Hill Tamaroa Lucius Read House Byron Owen Lovejoy Homestead Princeton Sheldon Peck Homestead Lombard Indiana African Methodist Episcopal Church Madison Eleutherian College Madison Israel Jenkins House—The Elms Station of Farmington Marion Levi Coffin House Historic Site Fountain City Lyman Hoyt House Madison Iowa Hitchcock House Lewis Jordan House West Des Moines Nishnabotna Ferry House Lewis Todd House Tabor Kansas John Brown State Historic Site Osawatomie Kentucky Bracken Baptist Church Minerva Hillcrest Farm Georgetown Maryland President Street Station Baltimore Massachusetts Nathan and Polly Johnson House New Bedford Nelson’s Grove Hopedale New Bedford Friends Meeting House (Quaker) New Bedford Ross Homestead Florence Thwing Residence Hopedale Utopian Community House Hopedale Michigan Banks-Dolbeer-Bradley-Foster Farmhouse Walled Lake Birch Lake Cemetery & Quaker Meeting House (CVC UGRR Site Assoc.) Calvin Township Bonine Carriage House (CVC UGRR Site Association) Calvin Township Bonine House (CVC UGRR Site Association) Calvin Township Chain Lake Baptist Church Cemetery (CVC UGRR Site Association) Calvin Township Guy Beckley House Ann Arbor Ramp Town (CVC UGRR Site Association ) Calvin Township Stephen Bogue House Marker (CVC UGRR Site Association) Calvin Township Missouri Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing St. Louis Nebraska John Brown’s Cave and Historical Village Nebraska City New Jersey Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Gloucester County New York Asa Wing Parish Bristol Hill Church (First Congregational Church and Society of Volney) Fulton Buckout-Jones Building Oswego City of Elmira Elmira Daniel and Miriam Pease House Oswego Edwin W. Clarke House Oswego Gerritt Smith Estate Peterboro John B. and Lydia Edwards House Oswego John and Harriet McKenzie House Hamilton and Rhoda Littlefield House Oswego Nathan and Clarissa Green House Oswego Orson Ames House Mexico
3 Site Candidates for Round 2 of the Network to Freedom (continued) State Name City New York (cont.) Oswego Market House Oswego Starr Clark Tin Shop Mexico Thomas Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church Watertown Ohio Augustus West Farm Perry Township Bethel Baptist Church Bethel Charles B. Huber Homesite Williamsburg Cranston Memorial Presbyterian Church New Richmond Dr. L.T. Pease Homesite Williamsburg Dr. John Rogers Homesite New Richmond Fee Villa Moscow Felicity Wesleyan Church Felicity Homesite of Dr. William E. Thompson Bethel Lindale Baptist Church and Cemetery Amelia Old Settlers Cemetery Bethel Sugar Tree Wesleyan Church Cemetery Bethel Tate Township Cemetery Bethel Williamsburg Cemetery Williamsburg Pennsylvania Independence National Historical Park Philadelphia Tennessee Fort Donelson National Battlefield Dover Program Candidates for Round 2 of the Network to Freedom California Footsteps to Freedom Study Tour Riverside Georgia From Africa to Eternity, Inc. (Traveling Exhibit) Brunswick Illinois “American History Live!!!” Chicago Indiana Indiana Freedom Trails Indianapolis “The Underground Railroad in Floyd County, Indiana” New Albany Kentucky Kentucky Underground Railroad Research Institute at Georgetown College Georgetown Louisiana River Road African American Museum & Gallery Gonzales New York Richardson-Bates House Museum Oswego Ohio “A Fugitive’s Path—Escape on the Underground Railroad” Bath Clermont County Trail Tour Batavia Clermont County Underground Railroad Public Education Program Batavia Facility Candidates for the Network to Freedom State Name City Louisiana River Road African American Museum & Gallery Gonzales Maryland President Street Station/ Baltimore Civil War Museum Baltimore Massachusetts Asa Waters Mansion Millbury Lynn Museum Lynn Michigan Fort St. Joseph Museum Niles Niles Community Library Niles New York H. Lee White Marine Museum Oswego Mexico Museum Mexico Oswego School District Public Library Oswego Richardson-Bates House Museum Oswego 4 Network to Freedom
2nd Round of Net- Programs Accepted in the Network to Freedom work Applications State Name City California Meet Mary Pleasant (a dramatic Chautauqua), Oh San Francisco July 15, 2001, marked the dead- Freedom (a musical Chautauqua) line for the second round of appli- cations to the Network to Free- Reclaiming the Past: Juneteenth Celebration Folsom dom. NPS received 90 applica- Maryland The Underground Railroad Experience in Maryland Rockville tions., including 69 sites, 11 pro- grams, and 10 facilities. Applica- Massachusetts “An Impressive Lession for My Children” Lexington tions currently under consideration New York Murphy Orchards Burt are listed in this newsletter. Fur- ther information will be posted on Ohio A Forge for Freedom Ripley the Program’s web site at
New Midwest Regional Coordinator
NPS recently hired James of South Carolina) with an project for the NPS at Hill as the coordinator for area of expertise in South- Brown v. Board of Educa- the Midwest Region. ern History (Colonial tion of Topeka and will James is an architectural through Reconstruction). continue to work on Under- historian who comes to the He also has 2 years toward ground Railroad research. Network to Freedom pro- a PhD in Agricultural His- Best of luck and much ap- gram from working on the tory and Rural Studies, and preciation to Oloye for his inventory of NPS-owned an MLA in Landscape Ar- work over the past year and historic resources in the chitecture from Iowa State welcome to James. Midwest. James has exten- University. Former Mid- sive experience in historic west Region coordinator James may be reached at preservation. He has an Oloye Adeyemon will be 402-221-3413 or at MA in History (University working on an oral history [email protected].
5 Network to Freedom
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MIDWEST REGION 1709 JACKSON STREET OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102-2571 ——————— OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300
Sites Accepted in the Network to Freedom State Name City Georgia Fort Pulaski National Monument Savannah
Kansas Free State Capitol Topeka Mas- Jackson Homestead Newton sachusetts William Ingersoll Bowditch House Brookline
Tappan-Philbrick House Brookline
The Wayside Lexington
Mississippi Forks of the Road Enslavement Natchez Market Terminus/USCT Barracks Ohio John P. Parker Historic Site Ripley
Vermont Rokeby Museum Ferrisburg Wisconsin Milton House Museum Milton
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