The Underground Railroad in Ohio
Monday, February 6 - 6:00 PM
Join us during Black History Month for a book talk and signing focused on Ohio's Underground Railroad history. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.
The book (2023, The History Press) details a dark time in United States history, when thousands of freedom seekers traveled the Underground Railroad through Ohio. The Buckeye State hosted about half of all fugitive slave traffic of the antebellum era. A mix of Northern and Southern settlers in the state added drama to a struggle that led to major benefits for the state and the country. Unfortunately, this epic past was obscured by silence and secrecy and then distorted with misinformation and folklore--until now. Author and native Ohioan Kathy Schulz accurately details the development and workings of Ohio's Underground Railroad with true stories of Addison White, John Parker and others.
Kathy Schulz is a retired college librarian. She grew up in Columbiana County, Ohio, on a family farm predating the Civil War surrounded by Underground Railroad lore; her birthplace of Salem was an important Quaker abolitionist town. She later lived near Springfield, Ohio, on another important freedom seeker route. Kathy regards herself as a “soldier in the information revolution” during her career at Wittenberg University, though she discovered fascinating information about local anti-slavery activity the old style way: from yellowed papers in library archives.
This program is co-presented with the Massillon Public Library and will take place in the auditorium. Books will be available for purchase to be signed by the author.