Release Date: May 6,2024
John Brown Open House & Legacy of Freedom Underground Railroad Experience
AKRON – On behalf of the Summit County Historical Society and its John Brown Institute (JBI), the public is invited to attend an open house between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on May 9th, John Brown’s 224th birthday. Guests are welcome to view exhibits, see a PowerPoint display on the famed abolitionist coordinated by Dave Gates, Education Specialist and have birthday cake. The event is sponsored in part by County of Summit Executive Ilene Shapiro.
The JBI will also host a special first-person interpretation entitled the John Brown Legacy of Freedom Underground Railroad Experience. The cost is $10 per person and those attending will have their names added to the John Brown Donor Wall on the property. These walking tours will be held at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Guests may purchase tickets via EventBrite at https://bit.ly/JB224 or call the Society office at 330.535.1120. Limited tickets will be available the day of the event.
Reva Golden, Education and Outreach Coordinator, will direct the John Brown Legacy Underground Railroad Experience that features local friends and actors associated with the JBI and Society. Thank you to Harold Darkow as John Brown, State Representative Veronica Sims (33rd District), Pastor J. Howard Streeter, III, Jacina Chapman, Harold Koltnow, Beth Ann “Buff” Darkow, Dave Gates, Deb Lemire and Reva Golden for sharing their talents.
Along with the legacy of John Brown, a few other individuals of the past that will be represented are the following:
John Parker - an African American abolitionist, inventor, and iron molder. In the fifteen years that he worked as a transporter on the Underground Railroad, Parker saved and rescued hundreds of runaway slaves.
Levi Coffin - a Quaker abolitionist and active leader of the Underground Railroad. Coffin was called the President of the Underground Railroad with estimates that three thousand fugitive slaves passed through his care.
Eliza Harris – a freedom seeker. Ms. Harris tells her story of being a slave in Kentucky and crossing the Ohio River near Ripley, Ohio, while holding her child in her arms.
The John Brown House is currently open for tours by appointment through the end of May. In June, tours will be held Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Save the date of June 19th for Juneteenth programming. The Society will partner with the Akron Zoo for a hike to the John Brown Monument and coordinate a tour route highlighting local African American history.
Founded in 1924, the Summit County Historical Society is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Their mission is to preserve and interpret the history of Summit County and Akron, and to educate regional communities about the people and events that have shaped our rich history. To learn more about the Summit County Historical Society please call (330)535-1120 or visit the web site at www.summithistory.org.