Underground Railroad in Vermont

FAIN: BR-50018-06

Rokeby Museum (Ferrisburgh, VT 05456)
Jane Williamson (Project Director: February 2006 to November 2013)

Implementation of a permanent exhibition presenting new scholarship on the history of the Underground Railroad in Vermont and northern New England.

Rokeby Museum, a National Historic Landmark designated for its Underground Railroad history, seeks NEH funds to install a 2,500 square foot permanent exhibit in a new building to be constructed on site. The Museum has pioneered a more nuanced understanding of the Underground Railroad for nearly two decades and now wishes to make its story accessible to the large and diverse audience that is eager to hear it. Based on a rare cache of historic documents in the Museum collection, the exhibit tells the stories of Simon and Jesse, fugitives from Maryland and North Carolina who found their way to Rokeby in 1837, and of the Robinson family's deep religious beliefs carried into action, setting them both in the context of antebellum history. This exhibit will serve as a much-needed model of sensitive interpretation based on historical documents and the latest scholarship. NEH funds will be used for final consultation with humanities advisors, final text editing and design, and fabrication.