COURAGE, COOPERATION, PERSEVERANCE: EXHIBIT INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER by JONATHAN GRANT TURBIN A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2019 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Jonathan Grant Turbin Title: Courage, Cooperation, Perseverance: Exhibit Interpretation and Educational Programs at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Anthropology by: Philip Scher Chairperson Daphne Gallagher Core Member Stephen Dueppen Core Member Douglas Blandy Institutional Representative and Janet Woodruff-Borden Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2019 ii © 2019 Jonathan Grant Turbin iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Jonathan Grant Turbin Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology June 2019 Title: Courage, Cooperation, Perseverance: Exhibit Interpretation and Educational Programs at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) is a museum located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It anchors a riverfront development project where, beginning in the late 1990s and early 2000s, cities and towns in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky invested in areas around the banks of the Ohio River. NURFC therefore serves multiple purposes as a tourism draw taking advantage of waterfront property, an educational institution, a monument, a place of employment, and a “museum of conscience” akin to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. As a “museum of conscience,” NURFC is devoted to telling the story of abolitionists fighting African American chattel enslavement prior to the US Civil War and human trafficking in the present day, as well as facilitating racial reconciliation in contemporary Cincinnati. Its mission is as lofty as it is multifaceted and daunting. This dissertation is the result of a year and a half of participant observation, surveys, and ethnographic interviews. It explores NURFC’s various missions and provides a set of evaluative criteria regarding them. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Jonathan Grant Turbin GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene OR Brandeis University, Waltham MA Syracuse University, Syracuse NY State University of New York at Binghamton, Vestal NY DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Anthropology, 2019, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Anthropology, 2009, Brandeis University Master of Public Administration/Master of Arts in International Relations, Public Administration/International Relations, 2005, Syracuse University Bachelor of Arts; Philosophy, Politics, and Law; 2001; State University of New York at Binghamton AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Museum Studies/Public History Applied Anthropology PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Modern Day Abolition Coordinator, NURFC, 2018-present Graduate Employee, University of Oregon, 2011-present v GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Center on Diversity and Inclusion Award, University of Oregon, 2012 Gerald Kramer Award, Syracuse University, 2005 Birkhead/Burkhead Fellowship, Syracuse University, 2003 PUBLICATIONS: Turbin, Jonathan (2002). “State v. The Big Bad Wolf: An Analysis of the Legal Treatment of Rape” in Justice for All: Issues in Political Philosophy (Steven P. Scalet, ed). Binghamton: Global Publications, Binghamton University. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express sincere appreciation to Professors Blandy, Dueppen, Gallagher, and Scher for helping me put together this manuscript. Philip Scher, Daphne Gallagher, and Stephen Dueppen served as academic mentors throughout this process. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to NURFC as an institution for allowing me to conduct research on site. This gave me the opportunity to evolve both academically and professionally. Special thanks to Ms. Tara Riley for her knowledge of NURFC and for being a boss, inspiration, and friend. Her familiarity with the needs and ideas of both the museum and local community were crucial to making this project happen. I also thank all of the past and present members of the Education Department including Chris, Katie, Novella, James, Ms. Pam, Mr. Westmoreland, and Ms. Verneida, the “full time volunteer.” Last but by no means least, thank you to Sherri for the final round of edits. vii For Carl “Mr. West” Westmoreland, who has forgotten more than I will ever learn. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION: MUSEUM OF CONSCIENCE, MUSEUM OF COOPERATION..................................................................................................... 1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 3 “A Site of Struggle” ........................................................................................... 7 Geography and Demographics ........................................................................... 17 “Courage, Cooperation, and Perseverance” ......................................................... 22 Cincinnati, Enslavement, and Abolitionism at NURFC ..................................... 26 The Tragedy of Margaret Garner ....................................................................... 31 Forward of Dissertation Chapters ...................................................................... 36 Synopsis: Chapter 2 ........................................................................................... 37 Synopsis: Chapter 3 ........................................................................................... 38 Synopsis: Chapter 4 ........................................................................................... 42 Synopsis: Chapter 5 ........................................................................................... 43 Synopsis: Chapter 6 ............................................................................................ 44 Tying Together ................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER II: THIRD FLOOR, TRIUMPHALIST HISTORY .............................. 46 The Front Desk .................................................................................................. 46 Exegesis: Third Floor ....................................................................................... 52 The Rosa Parks Experience............................................................................... 55 From Slavery to Freedom ................................................................................. 74 Cincinnati: “Hotbed of Abolitionism” .................................................. 81 The Civil War and Reconstruction ........................................................ 83 Rendering the Invisible Visible .......................................................................... 87 ix Chapter Page Constructing a Narrative of the Invisible ................................................ 90 NURFC and the 20th Century African American Struggle………….. 92 The Struggle Continues ..................................................................................... 92 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER III: SECOND FLOOR: EDUCATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS ................... 100 The Anderson Slave Pen and NURFC’s Great Hall ............................................. 101 The Anderson Slave Pen as Vernacular Architecture .......................................... 102 “A Slave Ship Turned Upside Down” .................................................................. 104 The Anderson Slave Pen and Internal Slave Trade Interpretation ....................... 117 “It Rags On and On”…………………………………………………………….. 123 Pavilion of Courage: Suite for Freedom ............................................................. 130 Pavilion of Perseverance: King Cotton and the Underground Railroad ............. 133 “A Network of People Helping People” ............................................................. 135 Brothers of the Borderland ……………............................................................ 139 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 143 CHAPTER IV: FLOOR ONE: BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS ............................. 145 Open Your Mind ................................................................................................ 146 The Conversation ............................................................................................... 153 Smith and Hannon .............................................................................................. 159 The Group Sales Entrance .................................................................................. 163 x Chapter Page Conclusion ………..………………………………………………………...….. 164 CHAPTER V: BACKSTAGE ON THE FIFTH FLOOR ………………..…………. 166 The Education Team ............................................................................................. 167 Layout ................................................................................................................... 172 The Process