The Underground Railroad in Boone County ONE LIBRARY’S JOURNEY INTO THE PAST
"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such a glory through the trees and over the fields, and I felt like I was in heaven.“ - Harriet Tubman Charles T. Webb [Public domain], via Google Art Project
What We Started With 1856 Margaret Garner Escape from Richwood 1853 Cincinnati 28 Escape from Petersburg/ Bullittsburg area Suspicions based on known UGRR routes in Ohio and Indiana Hidey-holes found in various homes of the appropriate time period Thomas Satterwhite Noble [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Community Partners
The Process DO THE WORK ONCE AND PRESENT THE INFORMATION IN AS MANY FORMATS AS POSSIBLE Court Records Newspapers Slave Narratives Journals/ Memoirs Step 1 Research Escape Database Map Crossing Points Info Added to Wiki Communicate Step 2 Document Tour with Brochures Website Outreach Step 3 Produce
Webpage (Wiki)
Timeline of Events
Bus Tours 5 stops based on crossings/ known escape routes Richwood, Big Bone SP, Rabbit Hash, Petersburg &North Bend Chartered motor coaches and 15 passenger vans Lots of food & drink, restroom breaks Kept the conversation going between stops
Digital Teacher Kit
Digital Teacher Kit- Activities
Digital Teacher Kit- Discussion Questions
School Presentations Request from Ockerman Middle School Entire 8 th Grade (4 presentations in one day) Official outreach offering to all Boone Co. Schools
Upcoming Presentations 2015 Network to Freedom Conference- collaborative Escape of the Cincinnati 28 pre-conference Tour 2015 UGRR in Boone County bus tours- both public and private groups (NKY Heritage League; St. Timothy’s Senior Group) Boone Co. Schools- field trips along UGRR Tour Route (modified) (2015/16 school year) Boone Co. Schools- Half day “Camp Joy” type experience (Spring 2016)
Where next? BCPL would like to add UGRR tour to NPS Network to Freedom *Clermont County, Ohio; College Hill Historical Society; Louisville; Maysville & Augusta have successfully added both historic sites and programming to the NPS Registry BCPL would like to expand our Kentucky partnerships Do you have any UGRR stories from your area? KHS is excited about participating in a Northern Kentucky (why not state wide?!) UGRR project
Bridget Striker Local History Coordinator Boone County Public Library x8131