The Underground Railroad: Voices From the Past

Storyteller Series at the Johnson County Museum of History

Explore the Underground Railroad with Jeannie Regan-Dinius at the Johnson County Museum of History.

Every Indiana community has oral histories about those individuals who participated in the Underground Railroad, but the nature of the network sometimes makes it difficult to find evidence to substantiate the stories.  A statewide initiative, the Indiana Freedom Trails, is working to confirm and document sites that can be definitively linked to the UGRR. Every day, researchers comb the archives in small historical societies looking for information about Indiana’s involvement in the Underground Railroad. 

Participants were diverse with blacks and whites, slaves and freed, men and women from the North and South helped those searching for freedom.  Food, clothing, shelter, guidance, and protection from slave hunters were given at a risk to everyone involved. Indiana played a huge role in the Underground Railroad and Jeannie R. Regan-Dinius, Director of Special Initiatives, will discuss our state's role in the events, talk about documenting stories, and offer suggestions you can use in your county.