Each Jan. 18 the nation remembers the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with events and programs. This is also a day to learn about the struggles of the past which have changed the future like - The Underground Railroad.
The following National Park PDF on the Underground Railroad has sites across America that reveal the journeys of the brave. We find them along the byways of Indiana, where often historic markers recognize these struggles. While in the region stop to see - A Gateway to Freedom - marker that stands in front of a Greek Revival-style church at the SE corner of Main and Third Streets in New Albany.
“As early as 1821, enslaved blacks seeking freedom crossed the Ohio River from Louisville to New Albany,” the marker says. “Many freedom-seekers coming through New Albany achieved their goal, traveling as far north as Canada.”
Trails To Freedom
Events and programs will be held from coast to coast. See The King Center for a living tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , the Indiana Historical Society or National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Listing for upcoming activities. Also contact the local libraries for other trails to freedom, or cultural and community projects to explore.
Update: While in New Albany explore the history of the region at the Underground Railroad Visitors Center at 312 East Main Street, Suite 101. Among the exhibits presented is Unmasked: The 1935 Anti-Lynching Exhibitions and Community Remembrance is hosted by the Friends of the Town Clock Church.
“This art installation reimagines two historic exhibitions held in 1935 to protest the brutal practice of lynching at the time. These competing exhibitions – one sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as an effort to rescue to secure, legislative reform, and the other, promoted by the Communist Party USA to emphasize art as a form of “mass education” to raise questions about the best strategies for combating racial injustice in America.”
Plan A Southern Indiana Trip
Visit the GoSoIN website to find regional places to shop, play and stay in Southern Indiana.