NPS Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program awards $500,000 in grants
Washington- In partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the National Park Service has granted $500,000 to 14 existing and potential program participants across 11 states. These grant funds aim to improve the preservation and interpretation of locations associated with the Underground Railroad.
“Since its established in 1998, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program has been dedicated to discovering and preserving the narratives of brave individuals who pursued freedom and those who supported them, “stated Chuck Sams, Director of the National Park Service.
These grants will provide financial support for a range of projects. These projects include the design of curriculum-based lesson plans for a barn in Kansas that provided refuge to those seeking freedom, the establishment of an exhibit for a house in Pennsylvania that played a pivotal role in the anti-slavery movement, and the organization of a humanities program and community festival to celebrate the lasting impact of the Black Seminole settlement known as ‘Angola’.
This program boasts an extensive database of over 750 verified listings linked to the Underground Railroad, which not only serves as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration but also facilitates scholarly pursuits. It fundamentally supports the notion that everyone deserves the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.
The grant recipients by state are:
Florida
A grant of $61,000 has been awarded to the Angola Marlon Community for hosting a festival and workshops that honor a historic community of individuals who sought freedom.
Illinois
A grant of $99,500 has been provided to the Crete Cemetery and Crete Congregational Church to support the stabilization and restoration of a historic church associated with the Underground Railroad.
Kansas
A grant of $12,000 has been awarded to Glover Bam for the development of curriculum-based lesson plans tailored for primary, intermediate, and high school classes.
Maryland
A grant of $23,000 to Mount Clare to expand the middle school curriculum related to the historic train station and to offer educational opportunities for both students and teachers.
Massachusetts
A grant of $80,000 has been awarded to African Meeting house to support the development and dissemination of information about the oldest surviving black church structure in the nation.
Minnesota
A grant of $5,000 has been awarded to the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldier Memorial Cemetery for research pertaining to the city’s oldest existing cemetery, which encompasses the gravesite of a former slave and Underground Railroad conductor.
New York
A grant sum of $5,000 has been designated for the Cataract House site to facilitate research into Underground Railroad activism in the Niagara Falls region.
North Carolina
A grant of $43,000 has been allocated to Guilford College Woods for an ethnobotany project aimed at creating signage and exhibits for an Underground Railroad trail.
Ohio
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church will receive $92,000 to support the restoration and transformation of their building into a historic center.
An additional $3,500 has been granted to the Oviatt House for the purpose of preserving and restoring the home of a family that played a role in assisting abolitionist John Brown.
Pennsylvania
The F. Julius Lemoyne House has been granted $45,000 for the creation of an interpretive exhibit that portrays the journey of a freedom seeker.
The Heinz History Center will receive $8,000 to aid in organizing a symposium.
Texas
The San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum has been awarded $18,000 to facilitate the development of Network to Freedom applications.
Additionally, the Galveston Historical Foundation will receive $10,000 to document the stories of freedom seekers and create a Network to Freedom application.
