Oldham County History Center #TakeovertheNetwork

To honor International Underground Railroad Month in 2022, the Network to Freedom Program hosted a social media takeover. Each day, a different Network to Freedom member signed on to #TakeoverTheNetwork and highlight what makes their Underground Railroad story special.

On September 4, Oldham County History Center took over the Network to Freedom's social media accounts. Oldham County History Center stewards two Network to Freedom listings: The Henry Bibb Escape Site/Gatewood Plantation and The J. C. Barnett Archives and Library.

Feed Post: Mount Parlor

Located in LaGrange, Kentucky, the Oldham County History Center shares the stories of Oldham County, Kentucky, a county situated along the banks of the Ohio River, adjacent to the city of Louisville. It’s location on the Ohio River, economic roots in agriculture, and relative nearness to a large metropolitan area contributed to the county’s connection to slavery and the Underground Railroad. Today the Oldham County History Center’s J.C. Barnett Library and Archives is located in the James and Amanda Mount House and is a designated site on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

James Mount was the Oldham County Jailor from the 1850s to 1865, and the Mounts were, themselves, enslavers. In the Oldham County History Center’s collection are receipts for slave sales and purchases by the Mounts, as well as bounty papers for freedom seekers who fled the Mount home. The first step any enslaved person takes toward freedom is their first step on the Underground Railroad. These papers document the start of Underground Railroad journeys for at least two individuals from this property, and thus provide the Network to Freedom designation. In 2021 the History Center recreated the parlor of the Mount House, furnishing it with items appropriate for the years the Mounts and those they enslaved lived in the home. This new exhibit helps to contextualize the relationship between the Mounts and the freedom seekers who began their Underground Railroad journey from this location. The J.C. Barnett Library and Archives also houses volumes of court documents from Oldham County that include additional slave papers, hire-out contracts, and other related items.

Visit the Oldham County History Center to learn more about the freedom seekers who journeyed on the Underground Railroad in Kentucky.

#oldhamkyhistory #oldhamcountyhistorycenter #kentuckyhistory #UGRR #NPS

Handwritten letter from Camp Siegel, 1861

Oldham County History Center

Handwritten letter sits on a table next to a white, wicker basket filled with black and tan yarn, knitting needles, and black and tan knit mittens.

Oldham County History Center

Inside Mount Parlor

Oldham County History Center

Inside the Mount Parlor

Oldham County History Center

Feed Post: 30 Podcast for 30 Days

In 2020 the Oldham County History Center @oldhamkyhistory in LaGrange, Kentucky developed and produced a podcast titled “30 Days of Stories on the Underground Railroad in Kentucky”. This podcast series examines the stories of freedom seekers, conductors, and abolitionists in Kentucky along the Ohio River. The podcasts can be accessed by visiting www.oldhamkyhistory.com. The Oldham County History Center holds two site designations on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the Henry Bibb Escapes/Gatewood Plantation, and the J.C. Barnett Library and Archives.

#Oldhamkyhistory #Oldhamcountyhistorycenter #Kentuckyhistory #UGRR #NPS

30 Days of Stories on the Underground Railroad in Kentucky

Oldham County History Center

Story: Introduction to Archaeology

Duration:

30.564 seconds

An Introduction to the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse, who shared this story as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program.

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Story: Henry Bibb

Duration:

1 minute, 18 seconds

Nancy Theiss, Executive Director of Oldham County History Center, shares the story of Henry Bibb and shows off some of the history center's collections. Oldham County History Center shared this Reel as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program.

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Story: About Archeology

Duration:

1 minute, 20 seconds

Archaeologist Jeannine explains the archaeological studies taking place at the Henry Bibb escape site. Oldham County Historical Society shared this story as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program.

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Story: Four Photos of Archaeology

As part of their takeover, Oldham County History Center shared four photos of the archaeological work they are doing at the Henry Bibb Escape Site.

Two high school students work inside an archaeological pit.

Oldham County History Center

A high school student watches as an experienced archaeologist begins to dig in the ground.

Oldham County History Center

Two high school students begin to dig inside a marked off section of land.

Oldham County History Center

Archaeology at the Henry Bibb Escape Site

Oldham County History Center

Story: Meet Benny

Duration:

17.684 seconds

Meet Benny - one of the high school students participating in Oldham County History Center's Archaeology Field School at the Henry Bibb Escape Site. Oldham County History Center shared this story as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program.

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Story: Meet Cecelia

Duration:

27.661 seconds

Meet Cecelia - a high school student participating in Oldham County History Center's Archaeology Field School at the Henry Bibb Escape site. Oldham County History Center shared this story as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom.

See more from #TakeovertheNetwork 2022