Muskingum County History Launches Putnam Underground Railroad Forum
ZANESVILLE, OH – Muskingum County History is set to launch its inaugural season of the Putnam Underground Railroad Forum at 7 PM on Thursday, June 27th.
The event will be held at the Stone Academy Historic Site and Museum, located at 115 Jefferson Street. The first program, titled Birthplace of the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society, will be focusing on the shift in attitudes involving slavery, and the change in strategy during the movement to end slavery.
“There wasn’t a lot of public outcries against slavery. Everybody accepted it and even though there were groups who helped runaway slaves, it wasn’t overly active. Then later, after about 1808, the Seveners started calling slavery a “necessary evil” because they didn’t know how to get rid of it,” Muskingum County History President, Peter Cultice said.
The forums in the series will highlight various topics about Putnam history and provide updates on the National Register of Historic Places. The theme for the inaugural season is “Old Putnam: Stories That All Americans Can Relate to Regardless of Where They Live.”
“People don’t understand or don’t realize the historic significance of what took place in Putnam. We have the Stone Academy building, built in 1809, and the Increase Matthews House, built in 1805. The anti-slavery movement started here and progressed even later after the anti-slavery movement,” Cultice said.
Each session will be held every 4th Thursday of each month. The event is free and does not require registration. For further details about additional forums throughout the season, visit the Muskingum County History website.
