Underground Railroad Conference

The Kennett Underground Railroad Center Spring Symposium will be held Saturday, May 21 from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Mary Dod Brown Memorial Chapel.

Theme: African American Communities in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and Neighboring Regions during the Era of Conflict and Resistance,1800-1865, and Beyond.

The symposium is free and open to the public. 

9:30-10: Refreshments

10:  Welcome to Lincoln University, from Cheryl Renée Gooch, Dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Lincoln University

10:15-12:30:   Morning Session -  Moderator: Terence Maguire, KURC

• Frances Delmar, Chief Interpreter of Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site:  “The African American Experience at Hopewell”
• Peter Dalleo, “African Delawarean Abolitionist: Kinship and Community Connections in 19 C Delaware, Canada West, and Liberia”
• Cheryl Renée Gooch, “Colonization, Abolition, Civil Rights”

12:30-1:30: Lunch

1:30-4:00:  Afternoon Session - Moderator: John O’Neal, President, KURC

• Michele Sullivan and Megan Delmar, “Black Abolitionists in early-mid 19^th C. Chester County, PA”
• Barbara A. Gannon, University of Central Florida: “Black and White Comradeship in the Grand Army of the Republic”
• Milt Diggins: “Free Black Communities in Cecil County, MD”

Lunch options for $10 (each one includes chips and soda):

• Italian hoagie: ham, turkey, salami, provolone, L & T, pepper relish
• Vegetable wrap: garlic herbed wrap with fresh seasonal veggies and cheese
• Mediterranean chicken wrap with chicken strips, feta, lettuce, tomato, cucumber

If you plan to purchase a lunch box, the cost is $10.  Please RSVP to kurcrr@gmail.com if you are planning to purchase a lunch box.