the underground railroad in boone county one library’s journey into the past
TRANSCRIPT
The Underground Railroad in Boone CountyONE 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 ProcessDO THE WORK ONCE AND PRESENT THE INFORMATION IN AS MANY FORMATS AS POSSIBLE
• Court Records• Newspapers• Slave Narratives• Journals/ Memoirs
Step 1Research
• Escape Database• Map Crossing Points• Info Added to Wiki• Communicate
Step 2Document
• Tour with Brochures
• Website• Outreach
Step 3Produce
Webpage (Wiki)
www.bcpl.org/cbc/doku.php/the_underground_railroad_in_boone_county
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 8th 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 StrikerLocal History Coordinator
Boone County Public Library
859-342-2665 x8131