Living in Ohio, it’s hard to overlook our state’s strong connection to the Underground Railroad. Placards abound in hundreds of towns, dedicated to folks who broke the law and opened up their homes to runaway slaves. And yet, for all the trees in this forest, it’s difficult for us to appreciate the breadth and depth of this secret social network. By the same token, from the comfort of modern commuter culture, it’s nearly impossible to imagine making the trek across difficult terrain that now lies hidden underneath landscaped highways.

 

To help us reclaim a sense of this history, Debbie Laveck of the Ohio Underground Railroad Association has put together a staggering visual presentation that will guide us through our local stretch of the Underground Railroad from Lorain County to the Pennsylvania Border using books, maps, photographs and other artifacts. Join her at the Lakewood Public Library on Monday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the New Main Library Auditorium. This program is co-sponsored by the Lakewood Historical Society and the Friends of Lakewood Public Library.

 

There are over seven hundred documented historic sites in Ohio associated with the Underground Railroad. Of these, over one hundred and fifty of the sites were documented by the Ohio Underground Railroad Association. Functioning as the research arm of the Friends of Freedom Society, the group works with local historians, librarians, researchers and activists to preserve and commemorate the cultural landscape of the people associated with the Underground Railroad. The workload for Ohio’s eighty-eight counties is divided amongst twelve regional coordinators who share their work in a statewide FOFS database used in the production of handbooks and heritage programs.

 

Our speaker, Debbie Laveck, hails from the organization’s North East Region that includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. She has a special interest in imagining the lives of children in American history. Look for a selection of her her favorite children’s books about the Underground Railroad to be featured in the display of items that accompanies her lecture.