International Underground Railroad Month acknowledges the significance of the interracial Underground Railroad for its contribution to the eradication of slavery in the United States and as a cornerstone for the civil rights movement that continues today in the Black Lives Matter movement. College Hill had an active community of abolitionists who were agents on the
+ Read More
Alice and Phoebe Cary were sisters who were growing up in Cincinnati while Harriet Beecher Stowe was here and devoted their lives to literature and social reform, including abolition and women’s rights. We’ll explore their literary and political similarities and differences with Harriet and her work. Discussion led by Dr. Kristen Renzi and Dr. John Getz
+ Read More
Cincinnati’s sewing response echoes history3/24/20202 CommentsDays ago, SewMasks4Cincy was organized as a virtual sewing group to address the shortage of masks for the brave souls in the front lines of the battle against coronavirus. The people behind this effort have struck a chord, bringing together friends, neighbors, strangers–everyone and anyone who can take matters into their own
+ Read More
Freedom Lecture: Kellie Carter Jackson Freedom Lecture: Kellie Carter JacksonThursday, February 6, 2020 | Reception 6:00 P.M. | Lecture 7:00 P.M.National Underground Railroad Freedom Center50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Free lecture, click here to register through the Freedom Center website to reserve a seat. From the Freedom Center’s website: “In honor of Black history
+ Read More
[Betty Ann Smiddy has put together a background history of the black settlement Carthagena, in Mercer County Ohio. This serves as helpful context and supplement to Smiddy’s recent booklet Hatfield: Barber, Deacon, Abolitionist. Mercer County was young when Dorcas Moore and her eight children presented emancipation papers[1] from Harrison County Kentucky, recorded Dec. 30, 1830
+ Read More
A movie to be released Thursday, October 31st, will challenge many of the myths that surround Harriet Tubman. In the version of American history that is taught in our schools and featured in children’s literature, Tubman has always been one of the few African-Americans associated with the Underground Railroad. “Few figures in American history have been
+ Read More
July 13, 2019 Our newest publication, John Hatfield Barber, Deacon, Abolitionist, was written for the Hatfield family and researchers. There are two versions available on our current publication page—a version of the story and an expanded version with more genealogical information. I’m going to interject myself into the story now, something I don’t usually
+ Read More
A rare photograph of Levi Coffin which we feature in our Escape of the 28 booklet was just sold at auction. The story of this photo was published in the Fulton Sun on June 26, 2019. This picture is believed to be taken by prominent nineteenth century African-American photographer, abolitionist and businessman, James Presley Ball here in
+ Read More
Fergus M. Bordewich’s 2005 book, Bound for Canaan: the War for the Soul of America is being mentioned now as one of the “must reads” on the Underground Railroad. I found an intreging review from the May 30th, 2005 New Yorker magazine: In the first years of the nineteenth century, most runaway slaves didn’t get
+ Read More
The story of the Escape of the 28 is featured in an episode of Bizarre Foods currently airing on the Travel Channel. Check the Travel Channel website for showings of “Underground Railroad” episode or watch it on You Tube. Many local and regional historians and food experts appear in the show–the Wainscotts, Kristin Kitchen, Carl
+ Read More