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The Underground Railroad in the Ohio Valley

From the Underground Railroad to the Juneteenth Jubilee

BY HTTP://HISTORY.SANDIEGO.EDU/GEN/CWPICS/86139.JPG. COMPILED FROM "THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM" BY WILBUR H. SIEBERT, THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, 1898.[1], PUBLIC DOMAIN, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=405624

 

The Underground Railroad helped enslaved people in the southern United States escape from their captors. It was not a single unified organization with one leader, but a movement made up of individuals who were working together. The symbolism in the name carried over to other terms. A conductor was a person who guided the people who were fleeing from slavery. Likewise, a station master was a person who hid the formerly enslaved individuals in their home. It's estimated that between approximately 20 to 100 thousand people were able to escape to the free states, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

 

In 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Texas remained a holdout against the proclamation. It wasn’t until June 1865 that Major General Gordon Granger delivered Galveston General Orders, No. 3 which told Texans that all slaves had been emancipated. The formerly enslaved people of Galveston, Texas celebrated June 19th as “Juneteenth Jubilee.” As former slaves relocated to other parts of the country, this celebration took hold in other locations too. In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

 


The Underground Railroad: Crash Course Black American History #15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Byh-HityBIM

 

Underground Railroad History in the Ohio Valley


THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM IN FLUSHING, OHIO.


The Underground Railroad Museum

Located approximately 40 miles from Wellsburg, The Underground Railroad Museum has a variety of exhibits that cover the history of the Underground Railroad and the aftermath of slavery in the United States. This museum also boasts an African art collection and a historical camera exhibit.


UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM ENCODED QUILTS EXHIBIT. QUILTS WERE USED AS CODE IN THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO COVERTLY CONVEY INFORMATION TO THE PEOPLE FLEEING SLAVERY IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES.



UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM MCINTYRE EXHIBIT. WHEN CHARLES BINFORD OF CHARLES CITY, VIRGINIA DIED, HE DESIGNATED IN HIS WILL FOR HIS PROPERTY TO GO TO HIS SLAVES. SINCE THESE FORMER SLAVES COULD NOT LIVE IN VIRGINIA AS FREEMEN AT THIS TIME, LAND WAS PURCHASED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, OHIO. THIS LAND BECAME KNOWN AS MCINTYRE. 

 

The Underground Railroad Museum

121 High Street

Flushing, OH 43977

740-968-2080

 

Hours

FEBRUARY – OCTOBER:

THU – FRI 10AM – 2PM

SAT 12PM – 3PM

SUN 11AM – 2PM

NOVEMBER – JANUARY: BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Admission FEE required

On-street parking

 

 

The Quaker Yearly Meeting House

Located approximately 20 miles from Wellsburg, The Quaker Yearly Meeting House was the first such meeting house west of the Allegheny Mountains. This location is known for its importance in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement.

 

The Quaker Yearly Meeting House

298 Market Street

Mt. Pleasant, OH 43939

800-752-2631

 

Hours

APRIL – OCTOBER: Tours are available by appointment only for small groups with not more than 10 per group.

Admission

Tour of 3 historic buildings + Quaker Yearly Meeting House

Adult - $15

Children 6-12 - $7

Children under 6 – FREE

Meeting House only

Adult - $7

Children 6-12 - $3

Ohio History Connection Member – FREE

Active Military - FREE 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

Juneteenth Festival

FRI JUNE 14 11AM - SAT JUNE 15 at 8:30PM

Admission to the Event: FEE unknown

Second Baptist Church of Steubenville

717 Adams Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

 

Juneteenth Soul Food Cook-Off

SUN JUNE 16 6PM

Admission to the event: $5 – YWCA Wheeling is the beneficiary

Towngate Theatre

2118 Market Street

Wheeling, WV 26003

Call the YWCA for more information 304-232-0511 or visit our website event page to register at www.ywcawheeling.org

 

Wheeling Juneteenth Ceremony and Celebration

WED JUNE 19 6PM

Admission to the event: FREE

Wheeling Heritage Port

1201 Water Street

Wheeling, WV 26003

 

 

 

Also, you may want to check out:


PHOTO OF NATIONAL AFRO-AMERICAN MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER BY WIKICREDENZA - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=58963344

 

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio


          “Enjoy our exhibits and programs to learn about Ohio's and our nation's African American history, art, culture, and social movements.”

 

 

 

These books are in the BCPL collection:

 

Underground Railroad in Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia

Author: William J. Switala

Call number: 973.7 SWITALA (WV), located at the BCPL main location and Follansbee branch location

 

A Museum for Generations to Come

Author: Beni-Kofi Amedekanya

Call number: BIO MATTOX (WV), located at the BCPL main locations and the Follansbee branch location in the Biography section

 

Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad

Author: J. Blaine Hudson

Call number: 937.7115 HUDSON, located at the BCPL main location in the Adult Nonfiction section 

 

Underground Airlines

          2017 Chautauqua Prize Finalist for Fiction

          Author: Ben H. Winters

Call number: FIC WINTERS, located at the BCPL main location in the Adult Fiction section 


PHOTO OF UNDERGROUND AIRLINES COVER FROM HTTPS://MLNAPP.RALEIGH.LIB.WV.US/


Next week we’ll explore more noteworthy people who have made history in the Ohio Valley.

 


Kirstie Perkins

Kirstie Perkins is a summer intern at Brooke County Public Libraries and Visitors Center in West Virginia. She is pursuing her Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies with a focus on nonprofit studies, communication studies, and fine arts. When not studying or interning, she enjoys gardening, making new things from recycled materials, and writing.

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